Tom Douglas

Chef’s Gardens: Mark and Marjorie Fuller, by Shelley Lance

Mark Fuller, chef/owner of Spring Hill Restaurant, and his wife and business partner, Marjorie Chang Fuller, grow vegetables for the restaurant in their backyard vegetable garden in West Seattle. The landscaper Zook & Oleson helped Marjorie design the layout and  built the raised beds and pathways for the Fullers.  Amy Pennington of Go Go Green Garden guided Marjorie and Mark on soil material and helped them plant the garden- teaching them how to grow the vegetables, how to rotate crops, and more.  Marjorie and Mark maintain and water the garden. Amy also sources some unusual and rare vegetable seeds for the Fullers. (Note: Mark and Amy are both Tom Douglas Restaurants alumni.)  Mark features his home-grown garden harvest in a vegetarian entree on the Spring Hill menu called “Spring Vegetables, Grilled Bread” (photo bottom right.)  The last time I dined at Spring Hill, I ordered this 4-compartment vegetable dish and I heartily recommend it. (The version I sampled featured a gorgeous small cannelloni stuffed with wilted greens).  If you’re not in the mood for a vegetarian entree, try splitting “Spring Vegetables” as an appetizer or shared vegetable side dish.  You’ll be eating right out of the Fuller’s veggie garden!

(Note: in the photo, bottom left, Kimo the cat guards the vegetable garden.)

July 8th, 2009