For 17 years, Chef in My Garden brought people together to support Growing Gardens’ mission of using “the experience of growing food in schools, backyards and correctional facilities to cultivate healthy, equitable communities.” During this annual dinner, top local chefs created delicious multi-course meals served in a beautiful home garden in Portland, Oregon.

In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic restricted gatherings in person, so Growing Gardens started bringing this experience to your own garden. For Chef in Your Garden, six chefs designed and prepared that combined storytelling through the craft of food for pickup or delivery. These three- to five-course meals included dessert and a local wine pairing.

The meals were so popular last year that they’ve continued in 2021. This year, the meals are designed to showcase seasonal bounties.

These meals aren’t a collection of menu items assembled in a basket. They’re stories crafted through food.

The meals are packed in baskets, which include a printed menu and reheating and assembly instructions. The baskets also contain either a video or an invitation to a Zoom conversation with the featured chef to learn about each dish and the chef’s inspiration behind it.

The featured chefs for the rest of 2021 are:

• Tuesday, July 13–Richard and Sophia Văn Lê, Matta
• Monday, July 26–Alex Saw, Rangoon Bistro
• Friday, August 6–Amalia Sierra, Terra del Sol
• Tuesday, August 24–Fatou Ouattara, Akadi
• Summer (date to be determined)–Kiauna Nelson, #Kee’s Loaded Kitchen
• Monday, September 6–Jane Hashimawari, Ippai
• Tuesday, September 21–Thuy Pham, Mama Dut Foods
• Saturday, October 9–Eleni Woldeyes, Eleni’s Ethiopian Kitchen
• Winter (date to be determined)–Ramon Shilo

Each dinner basket costs $175 and serves two people. The price is the same as a ticket for one person at the onsite Chef in My Garden dinners. Each chef will prepare 35 baskets.

Buy tickets and learn more about each chef at the Chef in Your Garden page. You can pick up your basket at the chef’s restaurant, or if you live in Portland, delivery is available. If you choose the pickup option, you’ll receive a bonus in your basket.

The participating chefs in spring 2021 were:

• Elsy Dinvil from Creole Me Up
• Carlo Lamagna, Dante Fernandez, and Roberto Almodovar from Magna
• Diane Lam from Prey + Tell