A Garden of Delights: The U.S. Botanic Garden

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SUNLIGHT POURS into the West Gallery of the U.S. Botanic Garden as local chefs and mixologists garnish hors d'oeuvres and cocktails with the freshest seasonal ingredients. Some of the area's hottest chefs are here, serving up beautifully crafted bites for D.C. foodies and locavores alike. They've all come together to celebrate sustainability -- the theme of the USBG's current exhibition, "One Planet, Ours! Sustainability for the 22nd Century."

Thirty-eight organizations are presenting exhibits at the Garden. Some focus on renewable energy, some on green building and some on sustainable food systems. FreshFarm Markets, a group notorious for bridging the gap between field and plate, is represented with a beautiful organic vegetable garden designed by local farmers Zachariah Lester and Georgia O'Neal of Tree and Leaf Farms in Purcellville, Va.

FreshFarm co-hosts Thursday's reception, one of its many events that bring members of the community together to taste, talk and spread ideas. Co-director Ann Yonkers says this is what farmers' markets have always been about.

"Historically, the marketplace was always the meeting place for any town," Yonkers explains as she walks me through the USBG exhibit. "Markets have always been at the center of any civilization, and farmers markets in the U.S. are bringing back the qualities of ancient marketplaces."

Bringing locally grown food to the city is something that the organization prides itself on. Not only do farmers' markets provide urban dwellers with increased access to healthy food, but they also strengthen connections among local industries. "In the cities, there's developed this wonderful synergy between chefs and farmers," said Yonkers, "because chefs get so excited about all the things that farmers can bring in."

The chefs at Thursday's event are certainly excited about local ingredients. In one corner, mixologist Gina Chersevani of Tallula/Eat Bar and sommelier Derek Brown of Komi jointly tend bar -- shaking up organic cucumber vodka, green tea and Cointreau to make "Going Green," a colorful cocktail topped with fresh local cherries.

On the other side of the room, PS7's chef Peter Smith slices up his rich house-cured breseola and plates it with an heirloom tomato confit. Meanwhile, Restaurant Eve chef Cathal Armstrong adds a local-watermelon relish to his seared rare ahi tuna.

Bringing chefs and farmers together has been one of FreshFarm's biggest goals since the organization was founded in 1997, says co-director Yonkers. "I knew that chefs were going to be the best friends to the farmers," she says.

» U.S. Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. NE; through Oct. 13; free; 202-225-8333, usbg.gov. (Federal Center SW/Capitol South)

Story and photos by Express contributor Suemedha Sood