Ecco's Garden in Winter

Rooftop garden beds and cold frames at Ecco, Midtown Atlanta.

  When last I visited Ecco, in Midtown Atlanta, I was clutching my camera and descending a ladder from the roof to the street below. Now, it seems there's a reason to ascend the ladder again. Ecco now has eight new cedar beds with cold frames, installed by Farmer D Organics as its rooftop garden.

Cedar beds crafted by Farmer D Organics.

The chef/gardeners of Ecco are growing winter vegetables and will get a head start on spring and summer seedlings. Current crops include Tuscan kale, broccoli rabe and Southern giant curly mustard. The chefs plan to use the produce in  dishes such as:

Broccoli rabe: sautéed with anchovy and chili flake, served with butcher steak and roasted beet-almond purée.

Tuscan kale: wilting it lightly with garlic, with grilled mahi mahi and porcini mushroom vinaigrette.

Mustard greens: mustard green salsa verde with house made grilled goat sausage.

Seedlings, Ecco's rooftop garden.

There's a bigger purpose here beyond the garden. Ecco is the state's first dumpster-free restaurant and the first Georgia restaurant to receive Green Foodservice Alliance certification. While showing off the rooftop garden last summer, Sous Chef Justin Jordan shared Ecco's mission to source as much product locally as possible. After all, what could be more local than the roof of the restaurant?

Raised garden beds, Ecco.

Ecco is located at 40 7th Street, at the corner of Cypress Street in Midtown. Visit www.fifthgroup.com for more information.

Thanks to Mandy Betts and Ecco for the terrific pictures and update about Ecco's rooftop garden!