Restaurateur grows citrus fruits on Makati rooftop
Makati is an urban hub known for its high-rise buildings and technological innovations that become the benchmark for many metropolitan areas in the Philippines. But among its towering skyscrapers and developed spots, many residents still find time to return to nature and add these elements to the city.
Wilson Quindo Tan, the owner of Top Meal Food Haus, which serves authentic Bicolano cuisine, utilized the space on his rooftop to grow citrus fruits, like calamansi and lime, to supply his restaurant with fresh produce that could elevate the dining experience for his customers.
“I love experimenting with my feeding approach. I actually started out trying to grow Carolina reaper chili because I am a hot sauce maker, and this is the hottest chili in the world. When I have successfully grown this variety of chili, I thought of other plants that are very essential in our everyday life, like calamansi and lemons, which I use in my restaurant,” he said.
Seeing the success of his Carolina Reaper plants, Tan applied a similar technique to grow calamansi and lemons. Yet it wasn’t entirely a piece of cake. Because of his rooftop’s location, he faced challenges like limited soil supply, adulterated environmental conditions, and erratic weather in the city.
Nonetheless, he prevailed through consistent and proper water feeding, added with the correct soil mixture.
Tan also bought grafted lemon and calamansi plants to ensure they would bear fruits. The restaurateur also mixed three kinds of soil, specifically vermicast, carbonized rice hull, and garden soil with pumice, to mimic the quality of natural farm soil. His rooftop now blooms abundantly with lemon and calamansi plants because of his diligence in caring for them.
“Buy grafted fruit-bearing plants because, with this kind, you can be sure these will give you fruits. It is also advisable to buy plants with fruits to see their exact fruit. Use organic fertilizers like vermicast so that even though your plant is just growing in a pot, you can be sure that it can thrive because it would be like it was planted in natural farm soil,” he advises.
Another reason why he loves growing the citrus fruits on his rooftop is because of the satisfaction he receives when he sees them thriving. Even though his produce can only grow in pots because of the limited space, Tan can harvest kilos, which he uses in his restaurant to cut the usual operating costs from buying in the market.
“I have an ample amount of calamansi fruits that I can readily harvest that I use in my small restaurant here in Makati. One of our bestsellers is siomai, where we use calamansi. I saved a lot because of my own rooftop garden, especially now that calamansi is very expensive,” Tan shared.
The restaurateur made a similar approach with his Carolina Reapers by transforming them into hot sauce or other consumable products to augment his income.
His urban farming journey is something Tan takes much pride in because of the success he reaps from the hard work and patience he put into growing fresh produce that consumers can enjoy in his restaurant.