What’s it like to harvest organic vegetables from the garden and have a chef prepare a hearty and healthy dish for you? This experience is something to look forward to when you visit Le Don’s Garden and Cafe. Located at Silang Cavite, 10 minutes away from Tagaytay City, Le Don’s opened its doors in 2014. Find out why I am always at Silang on Tuesdays.
Jenni Foronda, together with her family, started planting organic vegetables because their mother was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. They made sure that their mother gets only the healthiest and safest produce from their land. Jenni, her husband and siblings, got their hands dirty and planted whatever vegetable they could think of. Soon their small plot of land was thriving with cauliflower, broccoli, and bokchoy. Their entire community also enjoyed their great harvest.
Sadly, in February of 2015, their mother succumb to liver disease. With heavy hearts, they decided to continue what they started to honor their mother. Le Don wants to educate the people on the importance of growing their own food and preparing them at home. They advocate healthy and holistic living by connecting people with the food they eat. When people embrace their concept, Jenni and her family feel fulfilled.
Today, they regularly hold Harvest days every Saturday and Sunday. You can get naturally grown lettuce, arugula, sugarbeet, kale, celery, mustasa and strawberries. They also have culinary herbs like basil, tarragon, rosemary, mint, dill, oregano, parsley, and thyme.
Before they opened the cafe, friends would come over and Jenni’s sister-in-law would prepare healthy dishes for them from the farm. Their friends would rave about the freshness of the ingredients used and the incomparable taste of the veggies prepared for them. It was obvious that time that they loved what they were doing and the great tasting food is a reflection of that. After much thought, they decided to open the restaurant.
The restaurant is clearly a farm to table concept. Guests are fed freshly picked, pesticide-free vegetables from the garden and served healthy and delectable dishes. Their bestsellers include Nasi Goreng, Garden Vegetable Salad, Organic Mushroom Chicharon, and Mushroom Burger. The cafe is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays to Sundays from 10AM to 9PM. It is advisable to call for reservation too.
When I visited Le Don’s I ordered Grilled Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce (P75), Chicken with Tarragon Homemade Spinach Soup (P75), Bolognese Vegetarian Pasta (P150), Kale and Spinach Soup (P75), Vegetable Salad with Blueberry, Cheese and Homemade Papaya sauce (P150), Mushroom Burger with Mushroom Chicharon (P250), and Tarragon, Mint, Calamansi with Honey for drinks. The food was unpretentious yet so yummy. They also offer healthy family
The overall experience at Le Don’s Garden and Cafe is something for the books! Seeing how the vegetables grow in their most natural way, then have them specially prepared for each guest is truly inspiring. To add to the holistic approach to living, Le Don’s also hold yoga classes. Could you be any more earthy than that?
The yoga classes are held on Mondays at 6PM, Tuesdays 7:30AM, Thursdays 6PM, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30AM. Yoga fee is P300 and taught by Ashtanga yoga teacher Ms Ann Chan. The yoga fee is inclusive of healthy meal and drink. Since then on, Le Don has been my go to place for Yoga and heathy comfort food.
Jenni also shares that their cafe is open for private functions like birthday parties, exhibits of organic products, seminars promoting organic farming, anniversaries and small weddings. The place can accommodate 25 to 40 people. Minimum reservation is P6,000.
To know more about Le Don’s Garden and Cafe, please visit their farm at Asuncion Subdivision Biga 1, Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Silang Cavite. You can also call (046) 4143235, 0916-5561409 and 0977-8232787 for inquiries and reservations.
Check out their Facebook page, Le Don’s Garden and Cafe.