A Chef’s Secret Garden: San Antonio Magazine

Elizabeth Johnson, chef/owner of Pharm Table, begins each day with a cup of brewed Ayurvedic tea and a banana, artfully plated with a dollop of creamed honey and a sprinkling of healthy spices. Then she heads out to her garden to harvest fresh herbs for the restaurant, which are an integral part of her culinary repertoire.  

Johnson creates delicious, largely plant-based menus, free of dairy, refined sugar, wheat and processed foods, inspired by seasonality and Ayurveda. Pharm Table is built on the idea that food can be both healing and delicious. In addition to its San Antonio–inflected global menu, the restaurant also features a full bar and a wine menu that spotlights female winemakers. 

One of only 20 U.S. chefs invited to take part in the James Beard Foundation’s 10th annual Taste America series this year, Johnson, who the Beard Foundation called “a food-is-medicine guru,” is planning an upcoming collaborative dinner series with local artists, such as Holly Tupper, the founder, perfumer and creative director of Cultus Artem, a luxury fragrance and jewelry house headquartered here.