Fresh, Flavorful Surprises: The Secret Garden Courtyard Market

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: March-2022 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

It’s probably a coincidence that we’re featuring The Secret Garden Courtyard Market and Modern Fast Food in our March Issue. It sure doesn’t feel like a coincidence, though.

Throughout this magazine, you’ll find paens to the arrival of Spring and its promise of fresh starts and the almost giddy sensation of freedom after the last two years of Covid restrictions.

 The Secret Garden, tucked in the courtyard on Highlands’ Oak Street, is new on the local culinary scene and it’s offering fresh takes on classic bistro fare  – soups, salads, sandwiches, and tapas dishes 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.

Though our visit was in the middle of February, Tricia and I managed to hit one of those glorious sunny days when the wind halts and you can almost taste Spring, so we opted to carry our selections to a picnic table in Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park.

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 Porker, a beguiling concoction of shaved ham, Jarlsberg cheese, and pickles, slathered with homemade honey mustard and served on ciabatta. 

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.

It’s important to single out those chips and pickles. They were part of our take-out lunch, and they’re proof of The Secret Garden’s commitment to fresh,
flavorful surprises. 

Appearing alongside our sandwiches were the startling Carolina Kettle Southern Twang Salt & Vinegar Chips and Carolina Kettle’s Mama Gin Dill Pickle Chips. Both will challenge and enhance your understanding of Potato Chip Character and Taste. 

And DJ’s Pickles’ Silly Dilly Pickle Chips? Well, they’re loaded with fresh dill, slightly sweetened, and complimented by a touch of garlic and red pepper flakes. Pay close attention and you’ll detect just a hint of clove and turmeric. Who knew?

And 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.

But I mention her because she’s part of that precious community spirit that I feared we may have lost over these past two years of Covid-cramped routines. It’s the sensation you get when you take a seat at The Zookeeper Bistro in Cashiers or Bella’s Junction Cafe in Scaly Mountain. 

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. 

You can phone in your order at (828) 305-7509.