Boston Flora

Tag: Kathy Abbott

  • Tower Hill Botanic Garden Announces Appointment of Grace Elton as CEO

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden is pleased to announce that Grace Elton will become CEO of the Boylston-based nonprofit this spring.

    Elton has been the director of horticulture at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Va., since 2011, where she has established herself as a forward-thinking leader of one of the nation’s premier gardens.  Among Elton’s achievements at Lewis Ginter are a new apiary with demonstration beehives, partnerships to grow hops for a local brewery and expansion of a vegetable garden which contributes produce for an area food bank, and the planting of Lewis Ginter’s first native plant garden.

    A Florida native, Elton was first turned on to the importance of plants as a child living in Everglades National Park, where her parents worked. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialization in public garden management from the University of Florida and a Masters in Public Horticulture from the Longwood Graduate Program of the University of Delaware. After experiences interning at London’s Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, Elton returned to the UK to work with five separate gardens as a recipient of the Garden Club of America’s prestigious Martin McLaren Horticulture Scholarship.

    Prior to joining Lewis Ginter, Elton served as adjunct professor and arboretum supervisor at the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University.  Currently, she serves on the Board of the American Public Gardens Association, the leading association for professionals in public horticulture.

    Elton will succeed interim CEO Suzanne Maas. Maas has led Tower Hill since the departure of Kathy Abbott, who in May 2016 returned to her roots in Boston to work on waterfront and harbor issues.

    Elton will join Tower Hill during a period of tremendous growth for the organization, which welcomed 137,000 visitors and celebrated its 30th year at its Boylston location in 2016. This year is the 175th anniversary of Tower Hill’s parent organization, the Worcester County Horticultural Society. Tower Hill is also offering more programs and welcoming more members than ever before. Elton will take the reins as the organization moves closer to implementing the first phases of its new Master Plan, which calls for more gardens and programs for visitors to enjoy.

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting plants and people. Its mission is to inspire the use and appreciation of horticulture to improve lives, enrich communities and strengthen commitment to the natural world. The Tower Hill property includes 15 gardens, an historic apple orchard, a restaurant, gift shop, conservatories, library, and art galleries, as well as year-round programs for all ages.

  • Matt Landry Named as Executive Chef at Tower Hill Botanic Garden

    As a champion of locally-sourced food, Matt Landry is an ideal fit as the new executive chef of Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s restaurant. Landry’s determination to provision his kitchen with produce from local farms – and even from Tower Hill’s own vegetable gardens – dovetails with the organization’s longtime commitment to horticulture and to Worcester County. Now, after a month on the job, Landry is welcoming new and returning patrons to sample his new menus in the re-energized Twigs Café overlooking the Wachusett Reservoir in Boylston.  Landry, a Johnson & Wales culinary arts graduate, began his professional career with the Ritz Carlton in Boston and at Henrietta’s Table in Cambridge before opening Chloé, an American bistro in Hudson, Mass. During his decade as the chef-owner of Chloé, the popular restaurant often received rave reviews.

    Kathy Abbott, the CEO of Tower Hill, said it was Landry’s commitment to using local produce in his dishes that made him the ideal candidate to recommit Twigs Café to the sustainable food movement. Landry, a Berlin resident, brings with him a preexisting partnership with the owners of Indian Head Farm in Berlin. Since taking over Tower Hill’s kitchen, he’s also used ingredients from Tougas Farm in nearby Northborough and from Tower Hill’s own vegetable garden. There will be many more local collaborations to come, he said.

    For Landry, cooking is about building community and supporting local businesses. Local ingredients are fresher, he said, and provide both challenges – such as New England’s relatively short growing season -– and opportunities, such as a hearty sausage and kale soup to warm visitors on these ever cooling fall days.
    “They care about their land,” Landry said of local farmers. “And they care about the community they are serving. I see that making a difference every day.”
    Twigs Café is open to any admission-paying visitors Tuesday through Sunday and holiday Mondays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Wednesday evenings from 4:30 p.m. until the last seating at 8 p.m. In December, the restaurant is open extended hours on Mondays, Wednesday, and Thursdays, in conjunction with Tower Hill’s Holly Days festival of outdoor lighting, holiday programming, and indoor decorations. Visitors can check www.towerhillbg.org for more information.
    After all these years crafting menus of New England specialties, what motivates Landry to take on new challenges and to continue to cook for the masses?
    “I like making people happy,” said Landry. “At the end of the day, that is what this is all about.”  For more information on events presented by the nonprofit Tower Hill Botanical Garden at 11 French Drive in Boylston, Mass., please call 508-869-6111.

  • Marathon Daffodils

    Marathon Daffodils is a collaboration of nonprofit organizations, gardeners, cities and towns, organizations, businesses, and citizens interested in preserving the spirit of the Boston Marathon and Boston Strong, while embracing the tradition of celebrating the arrival of Spring to Boston.

    Some of Massachusetts top horticultural organizations, partnering with communities and volunteers plan to plant daffodils along the 26.5 mile Boston Marathon route, to create a new event.  Tower Hill Botanic Garden, The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, The Garden Club Federation, The Charles River Conservancy and other groups have agreed to collaborate. The goal is to raise $1,000 per mile for a total of $26,500 from Hopkinton to Boston.

    “We want to do something to lift the spirits of the community, in support of Boston Marathon 2014 and Boston Strong,” said Diane Valle, volunteer and organizer.

    “We are excited to participate,” said Kathy Abbott, Executive Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, “because we believe Marathon Daffodils represent Spring and rebirth. This is a great community building opportunity.”

    Plans include outreach to supporters and volunteers from young to old; and novices to Master Gardeners; to plant daffodils. “Marathon Daffodil” donations are welcome, sent to The Cooperative Bank, 201 Main Street, Charlestown, MA 02129.

    “With the support of the communities, the planting of daffodils is to commence in October and continue through December, along the route, and hopefully throughout our communities,” said Kathy Thomas, Past Garden Club Federation President and horticultural activist.  Volunteers are welcome.

    For more information:

    Diane Valle
    dianevalle@gmail.com

    Kathy Thomas
    Kathymthomas@aol.com

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