Column: At Esoteric in Virginia Beach, gardening feeds the soul — and Oceanfront diners

VIRGINIA BEACH — Kristina Chastain’s grandmother always said that you should grow what you eat and eat what you grow.

Chastain, like her grandmother, believes in growing as much of your own food as possible. When she bought commercial property on Virginia Beach Boulevard near the Oceanfront that included a vacant lot, she rejected suggestions that she should pave it and use it as a parking lot or perhaps build on it.

Instead, she found another practical use for the property. She created a vegetable and herb garden where she now grows food for her adjacent restaurant, Esoteric. 

“I can’t tell you the number of people who say that I’m an idiot, and that I should pave over this area and put a parking lot here,”  Chastain said.  

Instead, the garden, located near the intersection of Baltic Avenue and Virginia Beach Boulevard, is a green oasis in a desert of concrete. Seasonal vegetables grow in raised beds, and an herb bed includes a very vigorous rosemary bush as well as oregano, lavender and borage.

Although the garden’s primary purpose is to grow food, Chastain does sometimes rent it for special events including weddings.

“What could be a more beautiful place for a wedding,” she said, “especially for someone who is nature-minded?” 

Chastain began working on the garden eight years ago when she bought the property, but for her, it’s the culmination of a lifetime of training.  

“My fondest childhood memories are of watering tomatoes with my grandmother,” she said. 

Her grandmother, Cyprus native Mary Pitsilides, learned to rely on the food that she grew herself, and, after she moved to this country, she continued to grow vegetables.

Chastain’s father, George Pitsilides, is the owner of Captain George’s Seafood Restaurant, and Chastain took advantage of nearby open space to grow vegetables for his restaurant. The concept of restaurants growing their own food is probably a very old one, she said, but, like many old customs, it fell by the wayside for a while.

“We missed a lot of years” Chastain said. “For so many years, the restaurant business was so industrialized.”

Although she likes the idea of in-ground gardening, Chastain isn’t sure of her soil texture or the land’s ability to drain because of her proximity to the ocean, so she grows in 24 raised beds.

On one recent day after an evening rain, the ground was a little soggy, but the vegetables were high and dry in their beds. Still, wind blowing off the ocean during this summer’s storms has knocked over some plants and created maintenance issues.

Right now, Chastain is growing summer veggies, including cucumbers, squash and tomatoes. In spring and fall, Chastain grows the cool weather crops, including greens. She’s planning her fall garden and looking forward to harvesting the celery crop, which should be ready in the autumn.

Seasonal vegetables are prepared in dishes created by her staff, and they become favorites with the customers, she said. Herbs, meanwhile, not only season the food but are infused to flavor the cocktails. Tomato juice from tomatoes from the garden is also included in some cocktails.

Her grandmother taught her that growing vegetables “was what gardening was,” but Chastain does grow a few flowers. They’re not just for aesthetic appeal, though. They also have practical value. Marigolds act as insect repellants, while the zinnias attract bees, which pollinate the crops.

“My daughter, Lilly, loves all animals and plants, but she really loves bees,” Chastain said. “So we planted the zinnias because they really attract the bees.”

Chastain’s three daughters and her husband and business partner, Tim Chastain, all help in the garden. She also credits Brad Wynne of Veg Out Gardens and farmer John Wilson, who is a columnist for The Independent News, with helping. And, because Chastain can’t raise all of the vegetables that she needs, she buys some of them from local farmers.

Visit esotericvb.com/garden/ online for more information about the garden.

The author is a contributor to The Independent News. Her journalism has also appeared in The Virginian-Pilot.

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