Jonathan's Lunch Makes It

A group of hiking boot-clad gardeners assembled in Fitler Square for their midday break. All dirty nails and sweaty temples, Grace, Jonathon, Margo, and Laura showed up to the benches with multifarious lunchtime spreads.

“Jonathan’s the best about his lunch,” Grace said. “He always packs it and it’s always healthy.” Jonathan sat with a glass container of quinoa, lentils, roasted vegetables and sautéed Swiss chard balanced on his lap. “This is not a masterpiece,” he chuckled blushingly.

Grace looked at her own to-go container from Good Karma on 22^nd and Pine. “They have the half sandwich/salad combination so I got the vegetarian sandwich,” she said.

Laura and Margo joined a few minutes later with sundried tomato paninis from Rival Bros (apparently it’s worth it to go there just for the toast, made with High Street on Market’s famous bread), an ice cream sandwich, and a popsicle; the clients tipped them out to pick up lunch. Margo had packed day old chickpea salad, (“That doesn’t really smell right…”) and Laura had brought two slices of bread (“I went to make a pb&j but there was mold on both the peanut butter and jelly,”). So they were pleased, to say the least, with the fortuitous upgrade.

The four make up the team of Graceful Gardens, a company Grace started eight years ago to serve the urban gardens (and gardeners) of Philadelphia. The day I met them, they were working on two roof decks, an interior courtyard, and window box on 22^nd and Lombard. They provide a range of services, from design to maintenance to consulting. Grace typically works from 6:30am ‘til dark. The three join her around 8:00am and wrap up at 6:00 or 7:00.

Their client population is densest in Rittenhouse Square so they often eat lunch in Fitler Square. “Honey’s Sit and Eat is good in the winter – it’s fast, and you get hot food,” Grace said, bent in half, slurping her Lil Pop Shop dessert (Vietnamese iced coffee flavor). She also frequents Bacchus on 22^nd and Spruce.

As I walked with them back to Lombard, Jonathan asked about the blog.

“My parents will be so proud,” he said with feigned excitement. “My lunch finally made it!”

Lauren double-fisting with her panini and peach bourbon jam, oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich