About Melanie

Melanie Bromberek works for Windy City Harvest, the urban agriculture department of the Chicago Botanic Garden. In addition to indulging her green thumb by curating a wide variety of plants for sale and educating as well as supervising up and coming adult Apprenticeship and Youth Farm students on food safety, market procedures, growing techniques and crop projections, her work also calls upon her to lead basic gardening workshops for the general public.

She is also the former owner of Petrichor Culinary Garden, a 1/4-acre organic vegetable farm on the South Side of Chicago. While growing fruits and vegetables are her specialty, she enjoys every type of gardening and has dealt with all aspects of botanical management, which include crop planning, planting, fertilizing, pest management, site maintenance, and harvesting.

Certifications

• Produce Safety Alliance, FSMA Training Certificate, 2018.
• Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest, Value Added Product Course Sessions 2 & 3, 2018.
• City Colleges of Chicago & Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship, Class of 2015.
• Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest, Season Extension Certificate, 2015.
• Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest, Business & Entrepreneurship for Local Foods Certificate, 2015.
• University of Illinois Extension, Good Agricultural Practices Certificate, 2015.
• Illinois State Board of Education, Professional Educator License, 2015- Present.

Education

• DePaul University, Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education of Social Sciences, Class of 2011.

Professional Highlights

• Windy City Harvest Sales Assistant and Hilton Rooftop Coordinator, Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago, IL (2017-Present)
• Owner, Petrichor Culinary Garden, Chicago, IL (2016-2018)
• Plant Maintenance Coordinator, Bottle & Branch, Chicago, IL (2016)
• Farm Intern at Legends South Incubator Farm, Chicago, IL (2015)

Volunteer & Community Work

• Kimball Medill Community Garden, 2014-2016.
• Helped with the development and maintenance of a community garden.
• Led a workshop in garden planning and small space optimization.