How a Kansas City chicken chain is using a strip of parking lot to grow its freshest ingredients

The Strips Chicken and Brewing location in Lenexa boasts a garden where the restaurant's founder grows heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, red onions, spinach, kale and more. He uses much of the produce in his menu.

Months before snow blanketed Kansas City, Todd Johnson transformed a weed-filled, unusable portion of parking lot at his Lenexa restaurant into a flourishing garden that serves up fresh produce used in kitchens at all three of his Strips Chicken and Brewing locations in Johnson County.

In its first season, Moonglow Gardens — as Johnson calls it — produced heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, red onions, potatoes, spinach, kale, cabbage, sweet corn, zucchini, okra, Brussels sprouts, herbs and cucumbers that became items like pickles and superfood slaw at his Lenexa, Olathe and Merriam restaura