Gott's Garden

So here we go…my first blog posting. You might wonder why my first post is about a burger joint. What do burgers have to do with health, you ask? I’ll answer that question soon, but first the story…


Last night I was invited to a bloggers dinner to check out Gott’s Roadside’s new local garden in St. Helena. The invitation was somewhat unexpected since last night I didn’t have a blog. But I am in the process of writing a book and the fabulous ladies from my book club have been encouraging me to start a blog for months now. Since only current bloggers were invited to this delicious soiree, I am now forced to start blogging. I'm forced mainly out of politeness to “pay” for my dinner; imagine the embarrassment if I didn’t blog about my experience after accepting the “bloggers only” invitation.

Digression complete…Gott’s, formerly known as Taylor’s Refresher is sprouting a two-mile garden. Executive Chef, Rick Robinson uses this fresh, naturally grown produce (meaning organic without the certification) in delicious additions to the menu. Our dinner was bursting with tomatoes, from gazpacho to scalloped tomatoes, picked that day; delicious and nutritious. In the past few weeks Gott’s has offered sides including a beet salad and a Szechuan green been salad. With summer finally here in Napa, Garden Manager, Christopher Landercasper will certainly have his gardening gloves full in the next month.

I’m a big fan of the garden idea because increasing locally grown, pesticide free veggies on your plate when eating burgers is always a good idea. Here’s the lowdown on burgers (real beef burgers that is). Red meat when raised without the use of antibiotics or added growth hormones, grass fed and aloud to graze outside in fresh air is healthy, in moderation of course. Red meat is high in iron, zinc and B-vitamins, including B12.

However, most Americans are over-indulgers, n’est-ce pas? So a burger a day, even if organically grown, will most likely not keep the doctor away. Consuming large amounts of red meat is known to increase the risk of certain cancers including colon, breast, prostate and stomach. The large amounts of saturated fats are also known to promote cardiovascular diseases. For me, moderation is red meat once a week tops. With the adjunct of the local, naturally grown garden at Gott’s Roadside choosing healthy veggies – to accompany a meat or veggie burger, chicken sandwich or salad – is a snap.