Although the garden falls under the purview of the Price Institute, it has not been alone in the creation and upkeep of our little plot of land. There are many volunteers, students, organizations, and gardeners that have come together to make the garden what it is and we are looking to honor those who have had the biggest impact on our efforts through our blog’s newest series: Meet the Gardener!
This series looks to shed light on our most cherished volunteers that help keep the healing garden clean, active, and flourishing and our first gardener is one that has been hands-on in all she does. This month I reached out to Charlene C. Messer, a fantastic local chef who has given cooking demonstrations at the garden and tends to the beds throughout the summer and fall. Written here is a shortened version of our conversation that took place on January 18, 2025.
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today Charlene. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
I am Charlene Messer, affectionately known as “Chef Charlene” in the community. I am a Kean alumni, a Rutgers Cooperative Extension Master Gardener, T. Collin Campbell plant-based nutrition certification program and youth advocate. I run Elegant Bouquet Kitchen (education, eco-friendly garden to table agriculture), facilitate cooking classes and instructor/proctor who certifies nationally for the Servsafe exam. It’s been very gratifying working for the Healing Garden that is located in Newark, where I am currently a resident in the Ironbound, I am not far from where all the activities take place, it’s been a really impactful past couple of years and I’m really enjoying working with Dr. Alexandra Chang at the Price Institute and the entire team.
What is your role in the garden?
My role over at the Healing Garden has been planting in the raised beds. Last year I grew curly kale, dino kale, and beets. Actually, it was just a test for me. I got the seedlings from the Greater Newark Conservancy. Now that I’m growing out of being a novice, I understand more about what is in season, the fruits and vegetables for this up and coming fall. I had grown kale, kale can grow throughout [the year] just like collard greens, but the texture and everything is different when you are doing it in the summertime versus in the fall and winter. So that’s what I had done the first year the Healing Garden launched its raised bed project. I’m growing lavender there, I have mojito spearmint growing there, tomatoes growing there where I partner with Kelley Forsyth who is a Master Gardener and a trainer over at Branch Brook Park. I’ve learned about the different tomatoes and just the overall health of the garden, making sure it looks clean and presentable as well as equity and management, like “Hey I’m a part of this, we’re all a team”. I frequent the garden more often because I’m closer, but I look out for everybody.
Has being able to grow plants to use in your own cooking been a rewarding experience?
Absolutely! My mother is Gullah Geechee from South Carolina, my grandmother taught me how to cook. My father’s side is St. Croix Virgin Islands so I’ve learned certain recipes my grandmother on that side taught me, being around family and visiting restaurants. When I’m cooking out in the community, I do garden-to-table that is mostly plant-based. I can cook with meat too, sometimes I do a little catering and will develop products from the company. For example, lavender vinaigrette…I gave taste tests during my cooking demonstrations [at the Healing Garden] so this year I’m going to have products visible and access to a website. Coming from the Healing Garden would be lavender vinaigrette, herb vinaigrette, I’ll do a whole host of vinaigrettes.
You’ve mentioned your work with the healing garden, planting the beds and actually being able to harvest, what has been your favorite memory of working with the garden so far?
My favorite memory has been the event in the summer. It was my first time and I didn’t know Rutgers had a pantry, that it was working with the pantry. They brought out the kitchen, and everyone that came out was very supportive. I really enjoyed that, we had that in July 2024 and it was all a part of the Newark 2024 garden tour. It was an opportunity to do a map where you could go visit all the gardens. At the Healing Garden I did the workshop and it was very gratifying work that everybody could bring it all together. AARP came out and supported the project and it was just beautiful. People were able to take a tour of different raised beds, to see what people were growing, and I was just excited about the pantry and what they gave to make sure that it went off successfully.
What is something you have learned from your time at the garden?
Humility, giving back to the community. Understanding that justice is a situation because a lot of people go home hungry. They’re not sharing that part, they really don’t have a lot in their cupboards. The first thing I think of is making sure people are where they’re welcome to come and grow stuff. That way you can take stuff home and be able to eat it, whatever you choose to do…my takeaway would be humility and food justice. Advocating for our people in the community and understanding the importance of not allowing people to be without–as far as hunger, food, and resources.
Why Newark? What makes access to food and the ability to grow your own important to the city specifically?
It’s the demographic area. We are focusing on urban gardening, we are focusing on a demographic area that is a food desert. A food desert to the point where people in the area have so much of a disparity so far as health conditions, it’s deplorable. We still have people sleeping on the ground, homelessness is running crazy, ok? People sleeping in tents not having access to fresh water, fresh fruits and things of that nature. The demographic area, the Newark demographic area, I don’t care what Ward you go to, what cultural area it is…education is still needed.
Oftentimes in marketing you are gonna market whatever your niche is, and something that you want to give them too. The mindset is, oh I get something free there but the takeaway we want is about the educational component…This is not something that is going to happen overnight.
I’ve been part of the initiative since 2016-17. You see more people are talking about what they’re growing in their backyard, they can only grow herbs inside in a pot. They’re driven, even coming to other gardens if they don’t have one, to take part in what’s going on. That’s the part right there, it’s a state of mind in the city of Newark. Newark is one of the biggest cities in the state of New Jersey, so why not focus on the biggest city where a lot of people come to work, come to school, come for entertainment. When they come to the city of Newark, the likelihood of someone sharing with them what’s going on, is 100 percent I feel. Then other counties will begin to catch on, and it will be a domino effect. So that’s why.
What would you like to see the garden do in the future?
It would be nice, it would be a great project, to see the garden do a vending machine where people could walk up and get produce, herbs or maybe foods that have been prepared with an expiration date. Where people can go and have access to food to eat. Where if people want access to a recipe book, go to the vending machine. A lot of students can go right there and say “Oh, I don’t know how to cook because my family always cooked at home. I’m gonna go learn how to cook, I’m gonna go over there and get a recipe book at the Healing Garden’ so that’s what I could visualize seeing. Or having a little cafe, where they can come and everybody chill out and we could do different things in the cafe. Where there’s cooking going on, they can come and get a plant-based meal, a pescetarian-based meal or vegan. A little trailer sitting there, people can come there and get some nourishment. I could see a lot going on over there, but it depends on what Rutgers approves of.
Where can anyone who has interest learning more about you and your work find you?
Well, I’m reachable at Elegant Bouquet Kitchen through Instagram, Facebook, and on both of those platforms I have a Linktree to find some recipes I have on there. My email address is ebkhealthwork@gmail.com. If anyone is interested in participating in the community or would like to learn more about garden to table, I am always open to take on internships for people who are open to working at farmers markets and different events with me. Just give me a call! The website is currently under construction but that will be available very soon. I encourage everyone to stay in touch with me.
Thank you so much Charlene for the work that you do, and we look forward to hearing more about your future endeavors in Newark and beyond. Stay tuned as we continue our Meet the Gardener series this spring!
If you would like to try one of Chef Charlene’s recipes, see below on how to make her Lavender Vinaigrette:
