MANILA, Philippines - How do we know if the vegetables we eat are organic or naturally grown?
This was the question posed by Chit Juan, founder of Le Bistro Coffees and Le Bistro Vert. “The best way to really know is to do it yourself,” asserts Juan.
Juan started a small demo farm in a lot planted with coffee in Amadeo, Cavite, to try growing her favorite vegetables like arugula and lollo rossa lettuce. Now she grows not only her favorites but whatever the restaurant or cafes require as well.
She took up the “new” job in behalf of her partners Jeannie Javelosa and Reena Francisco, all of them partial to salads in Le Bistro Vert and even the veggies that go into Le Bistro’s sandwiches.
“At first, I was doing trial and error, growing just about every vegetable, whether we used much of it or not,” Juan exclaims. “But I realized it would be more sustainable if I just chose what the cafes and the restaurant need,” she adds. The rest of the harvest, is delivered to her partners’ homes and even to friends who have converted to Lohas or Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability.
Two of her partners at Echostore — Jeannie and Reena — thought of naming it Echofarms, which is what they now call her demo farm. Echostore has also asked Chit to grow hanging gardens for condos, seedlings for herb gardens, and even tarragon and lemongrass for tea.
“Most of the lollo rossa lettuce goes into Le Bistro Cafe’s sandwiches. We also try to source many of our ingredients locally (ham, cheese, chicken, etc.), even for pasta at the cafes,” she notes.
While Le Bistro Sustainable Cafes have a different, albeit simpler, menu selection, it still keeps to its vision of promoting local coffee to help our coffee farmers. Le Bistro Vert, on the other hand, is able to offer more menu choices because it has a bigger space.
For inquiries, visit www.echostore.ph and www.lebistro.ph.