Wandering verdant lanes of mustard greens, watercress, nasturtium, collards, and kale, I follow Emmanuel Roux on a tasting tour at 15th Street EcoFarm (342 15th St N). Blaring rush hour traffic threads around us, but the farm is serene. Intermittently, Roux jumps off the path to pluck plants for me to inspect and taste. Some are sweet, others bitter, and some flare open my sinuses, but all are densely rich and nutritious.
“Food has turned into a commodity; it’s lost its soul,” opines Roux, handing me an heirloom tomato. “What we are trying to do here is bring back the value of food as a cultural element and wellness element.” Formerly part of the Faith House, a drug and alcohol rehab center, an early version of the farm transformed sections of the property into therapeutic vegetable gardens, providing activity and nutrient-rich foods to those recovering from addiction. Now the farm engages the greater community, including underserved ones, and advocates for food as a holistic health program. The farm yields 8,000 pounds of produce annually, maintained by volunteers.
In September 2024, they introduced a kitchen and event space, facilitating a dinner series: family-style meals that promote social and physical wellness, served outside on a long communal table. “Anything can happen when sharing a meal,” says Roux. Roux offers some samples for delectation: candied pineapple and pita dipped in a sauce similar to chimichurri but with basil instead of parsley. I’m compelled to corroborate Roux’s claim that most food has, by comparison, “lost its soul.”
Bringing the community together through dinners at the farm
The dinner series is funded by a grant from Healthy St. Pete and produced in partnership with Positive Impact, which helps source, cook, and serve the meals. Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck shortly after Roux debuted the commercial kitchen and event space. True to the farm’s mission, Roux and his team, along with Feeding Tampa Bay, pivoted to deliver meals to utility linemen and community members affected by the storms, underscoring EcoFarm’s potential role as a reliable food resource in times of crisis…