One On One With: Former Restaurant Associates employee gives back with virtual gardening classes

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Adam Weiss, founder of Pike Lane Gardens, worked for Restaurant Associates years ago and maintained a professional relationship with the company throughout his long career in the catering and restaurant industry. As a consultant, Weiss worked with RA, some major NYC restaurant groups and big names like Danny Meyers. Since the pandemic, Weiss and his wife have made their Woodstock, N.Y., weekend home their main residence and Weiss has been teaching gardening classes via Zoom that he’s decided to donate to RA employees from Vermont to Alaska who are furloughed and/or under stress as the foodservice industry has been “rocked,” as he says. He uses gardening as a meditation, and it’s so appropriate to get back to the earth during tumultuous times like this.

Weiss hopes to engage with more corporations and groups with live Instagram gardening events and informational content on the Pike Lane Gardens blog. 

“People need some positive energy…the stresses and uncertainties of what’s going on in our industry…it’s brutal,” he says. “But when you’re in the garden, it’s not ‘When I’m I getting back to work?’ or other worries…you are being present.”

We talked with Adam to see how his classes work and to soak up more garden zen wisdom (and tomato tips!)

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Food Management · One On One With: Former Restaurant Associates employee gives back with virtual gardening classes

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