Taking it to the rooftop

HALIFAX—What once was empty space is now a field of green.

The roof of the Radisson Suite Hotel now produces a bounty of herbs for use at Ryan Duffy’s Steak and Seafood restaurant, which also handles room service and special event functions for the hotel.

“When you look around there is a lot of wasted space,” said Ryan Duffy’s executive chef Chris Velden, who planted the first crop of herbs in April.

He borrowed the idea after staying in Toronto’s Royal York Hotel and learning about that hotel’s rooftop garden. There is also a colony of bees living up on the roof that will produce all-natural organic honey. The two rooftop beehives yield 150 lbs of honey per year.

The garden currently consists of four raised beds measuring 4x6 feet in size. Each bed contains six herb varieties, including thyme, basil, sage, mint and rosemary, among others.

“I can expand this to another two or three (beds),” Velden said.

Velden said he buys organic herbs grown in Nova Scotia, and will continue to in the off season, but the rooftop supply will save him $2,000 a year, or one-third of the restaurant’s overall herb cost.

“I know what I am growing and it gives me pleasure to see things growing. It’s close by and my environmental footprint is not that great,” Velden said.

He said the restaurant’s diners are asking a lot of questions about the pet project.
“People are very interested in what kind of herbs are growing and what to do. They are also interested in the bees. It’s a good promotional tool.”

To his knowledge, Velden said Ryan Duffy’s is the first restaurant in Halifax with its own rooftop garden, but it’s something he hopes will take root on more of the city’s buildings.