There is a farm in the Grove. An indoor, vertical farm where hundreds of heads of lettuce are grown for Neon Greens. Owner Josh Smith describes it as "a vertically integrated salad concept, farm-to-table in quick serve form."
With their two farms (imagine refrigerated shipping containers), they can grow about 6 acres worth of produce, up to 260 heads of lettuce per day.
Listen to Debbie Monterrey's audio tour/story:
Smith, a St. Louis native, was living in New York, working in film and TV. Then COVID hit. He and his partner moved to a small cottage in Connecticut where, out of pandemic boredom, Smith began gardening. Then he expanded to hydroponics.
"A lot of people don't realize that about 98% of the lettuce that they get in the grocery store comes from California and Arizona," says Smith.
He says that is not sustainable, plus, by the time the lettuce gets to your home, it's shelf life in your fridge is short.
An outdoor, second floor patio allows diners to watch workers in the "harvest capsule." A window from the capsule opens into the restaurant where a conveyor belt sends fresh greens down to the kitchen.
During the research and development phase when Smith and his team were experimenting with different plants and grow times, they sold the lettuce to area restaurants. Unfortunately, salad demand at Neon Greens means they don't expect to have any left over for other chefs.
