The (not so) Secret Garden

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: July 2024 | Photograph By: Mary Gilian

On a splendid Saturday afternoon last month, Tricia and I were strolling through Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park, taking in the Highlands Motoring Festival’s glittering centerpieces.

It’s impossible not to be seduced by those beauties, and the bustling crowds were testament to pull of these glorious fusions of art and precision engineering.

But just a few steps away from the crowds and the ballyhoo was a refuge, almost a secret garden.

Nope, that’s not right. Not “almost.” Literally, The Secret Garden Courtyard Market and Modern Fast Food.

In a little over two years, Rachel Lewicki’s little bistro, located at Village Square, has become something of a local landmark – a quick getaway from the stressors of the day or the season (or the bustling Motoring Festival).

The Secret Garden, tucked in the courtyard on Highlands’ Oak Street, offers fresh takes on classic bistro fare – soups, salads, sandwiches, made for quick sampling shares with your dining companions.

You can eat your selections inside, at a cozy counter space, or outdoors at the tables and patio chairs of the courtyard.

There’s something about eating outdoors that sharpens the senses, and The Secret Garden’s dishes ricocheted around our palates like a pinball.

We’d chosen The Basic Chick, a freshly-made chicken salad on a croissant; and The Godfather – a dazzling concoction of salami, shaved ham, pepperoni, onion, provolone cheese, shredded lettuce, banana peppers, drizzled with Italian dressing and served up on a pressed sub roll, elegant in its simplicity.

Both were impeccable in their flavor and presentation. We ate with embarrassing haste and minimal conversation, which I suppose is the highest compliment you can pay a meal.

But let me step back from this and once more focus on The Secret Garden itself. In addition to its daily selections of soups and sandwiches, the place is filled chockablock with gourmet items you can take home – soup mixes, dips, sweets and savories, exotic chips, and pickles.

Tricia opted for Unicorn Tears’ Mad Tasty Pure Sparkling Water. Now that may not sound special, but then you read the label and discover that it contains 20 mgs of hemp extract, which is as close to a walk on the Wild Side as you’re going to get one block from Main Street.

And at the center of all this is owner/chef Rachel Lewicki. When she’s not in the kitchen preparing the day’s fare, Rachel is behind the counter, chatting with her customers and ringing up their selections.

Rachel grew up in Highlands and she delivers all of that warm, local charm in generous dollops. You can chat about the day, exchange little bits of news and gossip, or just revel in the neighborliness of it all.