Student Partnership Honored in Culinary Garden Project
Two recent Cal Poly Pomona graduates have received a national award for the design and installation of the culinary garden at The Collins College of Hospitality Management.
Presented by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the student collaboration award recognizes the partnership between Kyle McEnroe, landscape architecture, and Ryan Connelly, plant sciences, both of whom graduated in June. The three-year project also received support from students and faculty in the College of Environmental Design, the College of Agriculture and Collins College. The garden provides fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit for dishes used at The Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch.
McEnroe drew up plans for the overall garden, paying particular attention to the spaces dedicated to ornamental horticulture and herbs, as well as outdoor lecture and social gathering areas.
"The vision plan involves vegetable production, an interactive learning environment and a space for leisure social activities," McEnroe says. "Circulation patterns for both patrons and service members were also considered."
Connelly worked on the agriculture garden, which includes the vegetables and fruit trees. He also installed an advanced irrigation system whose water output can be customized for each of the 21 beds. His goal was to ensure the garden would be relatively low maintenance and sustainable.
"When designing the garden, we needed it to be aesthetically pleasing yet functional," Connelly says. "The garden is an education tool for all Cal Poly Pomona students and restaurant clientele."
The location of the garden, adjacent to the restaurant, presented McEnroe and Connelly with the additional challenge of preserving the view of the valley for diners. To make the design work, they opted for dwarf fruit trees and placed them on the garden's downslope, which has the added benefit of providing good drainage for the tree roots.
To learn more about the culinary garden and the ASLA award, visit http://polycentric.csupomona.edu/news_stories/2009/04/culinary-garden-springs-to-life-offers-menu-inspiration.html and www.asla.org/2010studentawards/191.html.
