Herbs spring up at Moore College

Students at Philadelphia’s Moore College of Art and Design love being able to eat locally grown food. Food service director Anthony Condo of Sage Dining Services, who runs the cafeteria, buys as much as possible from local farmers.

“Not only is the food fresher,” Condo says, “but the environmental impact is less because it’s not shipped as far.” Soon that transportation impact will disappear completely for a few ingredients: Condo and executive chef John Starrett started an herb garden over spring break.

True to the eco-friendly intention of the project, they planted the herbs in a recycled container: an old salad bar recently retired from active service. Now that the weather is warmer, they’ll wheel the herb cart to an adjoining courtyard, where they plan to plant tomatoes and cucumbers.

Condo also “hired” Victoria May, a senior graphic design student, to create a logo, signage and supporting materials as a project in her branding class. May was neither a gardener nor a cook before tackling the assignment, but was excited to be part of it.

“It’s a good opportunity to do something positive for the school and see my work being used,” May said. She won the Fred Acker Achievement Award in Graphic Design at her senior thesis exhibition, which included the cart.

Follow Judy Weightman on Twitter at @JudyWEdu.