Cultivating Connections: Interview with SCCG gardeners, Luciano Emanuele and Jay Bischoff
From garden to table, creating fava-licious recipes that pay homage to their Mid-West and Sicilian farming roots.
We are delighted to highlight Luciano Emanuele and Jay Bischoff for June 2025 Cultivating Connections.
SCCG: Good morning, Jay and Luciano. Thank you so much for meeting me on this drizzly, spring morning at the San Carlos Community Garden. What inspired you to get involved with SCCG?
Luciano: Not too long after moving to this area from the Hillcrest neighborhood, we read about the San Carlos Community Garden in the Mission Times Courier newspaper and soon joined as gardeners…must of been around 2015 or 2017. We have found that San Diego is the perfect climate for year-round gardening. We have two garden plots at SCCG and also have a garden at home.
Jay: Gardening is important to both of us and has been a big part of our lives even though we are from different continents. Luciano is from Sicily where his family always had a garden and I grew up on a 50 acre farm in the Midwest that had one acre dedicated to our family garden. My childhood basement was always full storing what we grew to be enjoyed throughout winter.
SCCG: Wow! Gardening is in your blood! Your SCCG garden plots are most impressive and can only imagine what your home gardens look like. Do you have a favorite plant to grow and is there a special story as to why?
Luciano: Let me show you - right now we have fava beans in one of our plots - this is a favorite from my childhood. Fava beans are very nutritious and store well…here try one!
[We walk over to their second garden plot and Luciano plucks a fava pod from his plants that have already grown to above our heads, then he opens it to show the beans inside. We tasted and they were delicious!]
Jay: There is also nothing like the taste of fresh vine ripened tomatoes - we like to grow all varieties. At our home garden, we like to keep Juliet and Roma tomatoes growing year-round. We also like to grow eggplant too.
SCCG: Your harvests have been amazing! I am truly impressed by your passion for gardening. What advice would you give to new gardeners?
Jay: My advice is to learn about insect management because they can destroy crops. We found out that ants are a big problem because they carry around aphid eggs that can quickly spread throughout your garden.
Luciano: Also, you should learn all that you can. A great resource is attending the the Garden Workshops held here at San Carlos Community Garden.
SCCG: I hear you are quite involved at SCCG, tell me more about where we may see you around the garden.
Jay & Luciano: Well, volunteering and being involved is a good use of our free time. We like to volunteer to help this garden - we volunteer at the membership booth at Spring Festival and every Saturday morning we like to help tidy up the sidewalks outside of the garden before the weekly Open House. And during Covid times, we grew Swiss Chard to donate to the Good Shepherd Food Pantry. Most recently, we are part of the Crazy Cat Committee helping our cats adjust to their new life in the garden. You really see how these cats have helped keep the rodents away - so much is growing this Spring!
You’ll need to attend to see Luciano & Jay’s favorite spot!
SCCG: Thank you for all the time and love you have given to SCCG. How has being part of this community garden impacted you and your relationships with your neighbors?
Luciano: Its been so important. We ask friends to join us at garden events - a favorite is the summer concerts in the garden. We have a favorite spot to set up our chairs to sit back and enjoy the music [the exact location has been withheld by this author ;-)].
Jay: Truly, this has been like a social club and we like to invite others to enjoy this garden.
SCCG: I can’t stop thinking about all you grow…what do you like to make with your garden goodness?
Luciano: We like to make eggplant stuffed with ground meat, parmesan, egg and breadcrumbs with a side of pasta and we also love Pasta ala Norma. Instead of eggplant, we sometimes substitute with zucchini or spaghetti squash.
Jay: When cooking with eggplant, a great tip is to salt the eggplant for 45 minutes to draw out the bitterness.
SCCG: That’s a great tip, Jay! You two are making me hungry! Since people aren’t too familiar with fava beans, do you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share?
Jay: Oh…you’re putting us on the spot (said with a smirk). We like to make our favorite recipes from heart and memory but maybe we can put one down on paper.
Fava Bean and Tomato Pasta ala Luciano & Jay
Ingredients:
• 8 oz (225g) pasta (such as spaghetti or penne) or your favorite zoodles [*note the recipe photos shown with summer squash zoodles.]
• 1⁄2 cup coarsely diced yellow onion
• 2 cups shelled and peeled fava beans
• 3+ tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes (drained) or 1 cup halved fresh cherry tomatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for serving
Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside, reserving some pasta water.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add 1⁄2 cup of diced onion and cook until translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté for a minute until fragrant. (do not brown)
Add 1 can of diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes to the skillet and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Add the peeled fava beans to the skillet and sauté for 3-4 minutes until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Toss the cooked pasta with 1⁄2 cup reserved pasta water with the fava bean and tomato mixture.
Serve hot with grated Parmesan cheese and a few fresh basil leaves sprinkled on top of each serving.
Makes approximately 4 servings.
