High atop Regi's American Bistro in Federal Hill, 55 tomato plants grow in large pots, strategically located along support beams so they don't strain the rowhouse roof.
Looking for a more affordable, dependable source for the tasty heirloom varieties that can fetch $4 to $5 a pound at area farmers' markets, Regi's owner Alan Morstein this spring created a rooftop tomato farmette that he proudly shows off to diners. Regi's chefs Mike Broglio and Ben Troast have grown used to them, traipsing through the prep area to reach the roof.
"We joke that it's the 7:30 tour," Broglio said.
"We don't have a chef's table," Troast added. "We're going to have a tomato table up there."
First there was farm-to-table dining. Now, "rooftop-to-tabletop," as Morstein calls it.
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Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr., The Baltimore Sun.