Raise the roof beds

Harvest at the Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile (540 N Michigan Ave, 312-836-0100)
“Most people would not expect a convention hotel to do this,” says Myk Banas, the Marriott’s chef, of raising hundreds of thousands of bees on the roof of the hotel for the second summer. Then again, he explains, the kitchens at the Marriott do a lot of things people wouldn’t expect, like turn that honey into beer.
NOW GROWING
herbs (including a few varieties of mint and thyme)
COMING SOON
radishes, beets, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, turnips
ANYTHING BESIDES PRODUCE?
By midsummer, Banas expects half a million bees in five hives, maintained by Wild Blossom Meadery’s Greg Fischer. Also, hops.
EAT IT IN
Rooftop Honey Wheat beer, brewed in collaboration with Ravenswood’s Half Acre Brewery

Uncommon Ground Devon (1401 W Devon Ave, 773-465-9801)
Call this patch of rooftop pioneering or idealistic—just don’t call it a garden. This is the country’s first “certified organic rooftop farm,” one aspect of Uncommon Ground owners Michael and Helen Cameron’s commitment to sustainability that recently earned this spot three-star certification from the Green Restaurant Association.
NOW GROWING
herbs (such as sage, chives and lovage) and micro-arugula
COMING SOON
peas, lettuces, beans, peppers, kale, tomatoes
ANYTHING BESIDES PRODUCE?
solar panels, which have reduced the restaurant’s energy consumption by 10 percent
EAT IT IN
Dietzler Farm roast-beef sandwich, topped with white cheddar, red onion, horseradish aioli and micro-arugula

Hearty (3819 N Broadway, 773-244-9866)
Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, owners of the comfort-food restaurant Hearty, don’t claim to be green thumbs. They don’t have to: Brian Shustrick, executive chef for the Hearty Boys catering arm, has thumbs enough, and has taken on the rooftop garden as part of his efforts to make the catering side more sustainable.
NOW GROWING
Not much yet. Some herbs, like lemon thyme and stevia.
COMING SOON
more herbs, squash, many varieties of tomatoes and peppers
ANYTHING BESIDES PRODUCE?
Nope.
EAT IT IN
cheese-stuffed squash blossoms, battered and deep fried (but not for another month)

Markethouse (611 N Fairbanks Ct, 312-224-2200)
Chef Scott Walton has been researching his rooftop garden since the winter, but it’s only now that the project—on the fifth floor of the Doubletree Hotel—is being realized. Though it’s the first year for the garden, Walton didn’t hold back—he’s growing more than 50 herbs, 12 tomatoes and tons of vegetables.
NOW GROWING
chives, dill, baby leeks, sage
COMING SOON
cosmic purple carrots, serrano peppers, fall golden raspberries, a dozen varieties of tomatoes
ANYTHING BESIDES PRODUCE?
compost, which will be used to fortify the veggies
EAT IT IN
Blood orange spring pea soup with English peas and mint

Browntrout (4111 N Lincoln Ave, 773-472-4111)
Chef Sean Sanders’s first love wasn’t food—it was botany, which he studied at the College of DuPage. That’s one reason he doesn’t mind the 15 hours a week he spends tending his rooftop garden. The other reasons include flavor (“You can’t beat that quality”) and the savings. “Financially it helps ends meet when you aren’t spending $4 a pound at Green City Market for tomatoes,” he says.
NOW GROWING
sprouts, chives, arugula
COMING SOON
tomatoes, beans, English peas, blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries, Chinese ornamental peppers
ANYTHING BESIDES PRODUCE?
some seating, if the licenses happen
EAT IT IN
risotto with rooftop cilantro

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