From garden to kitchen: Growing community with the Healing Garden

In the heart of the financial district in Canada's largest city, members of the Ted Rogers School of Management community grow and harvest herbs that are used in food prepared for the school community.

It’s a unique urban agricultural arrangement: While streetcars and commuters pass by on the busy streets, just steps away in the school's interior seventh floor courtyard, the herbs (mint, chives, thyme, rosemary and oregano) are harvested for use in the school’s in-house food service, Ted’s Kitchen, and made available to students. This year, the harvest took place on November 20.

Ted’s Kitchen, which offers healthy and sustainable meal options for students at the Ted Rogers School, is proud to use herbs grown in the courtyard – a simple way to bring community, freshness and sustainability together on campus. This ongoing project is a wonderful example of how small, hands-on actions can create lasting impact, building a greener, more connected school community.

“As a chef, you look for opportunities to engage your community through food preparation,” said Tommy McHugh, Executive Chef, TRS Culinary & Catering Department. ”Those of us who spend our lives preparing food cherish those connections, and we are lucky to have that here at the Ted Rogers School.”

The initiative was led by the Ted Rogers School Engagement & Inclusion team as part of ongoing efforts to create spaces that honour community, culture and the land. 

In the summer, student, staff and faculty volunteers from the school were invited to transform the courtyard into a vibrant and welcoming space for the community. Building on Ted Rogers School’s commitment to inclusion, sustainability and connection, participants planted thyme and a selection of native plants, along with pollinators, to create a space that not only beautifies the courtyard, but also supports local ecosystems and student well-being. 

“The initiative was designed to help welcome new and returning students to campus with a space that reflects care, collaboration and renewal,” said Sana Mulji, Senior Advisor, External Relations and Inclusion. “It truly was a collaborative effort, bringing together people from the Ted Rogers School, the urban farm and others across the university who guided this beautiful undertaking.”

In the future, the seventh floor courtyard will evolve into an Indigenous Healing Garden, further deepening its connection to learning, reflection and reconciliation. This planting event is a significant first step toward making the future Indigenous Healing Garden space accessible, ensuring that more of the TMU community can become involved and benefit from it. The TMU community is invited to connect with the Ted Rogers School Engagement & Inclusion team at trsm.inclusion@torontomu.ca about future programming and planting efforts for the spring.