Naples Botanical Garden

Celebrating 10 Seasons of Fogg Café—and Counting

by

There are a few constants that Fogg Café Director Kris Kirkland has noticed over the past decade. For starters, there’s the delight of Members at their now not-so-well kept secret, the hidden gem of a café tucked into a botanical garden. Then there are the smiles brought through the joy of food, and the loyal following to order the mango chicken salad—a light and refreshing Garden staple—time and time again. “What’s not to love? People eat with their eyes first, it’s colorful and vibrant, and looks just as good as it tastes,” says Kirkland, below, far left, whose tenure in Fogg Café dates back to 2014, when it opened, first under the D’Amico family of restaurants. By 2018, Café operations had transitioned to the Garden.

Fogg Café staff commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Garden’s much-loved dining venue. Photos by John Eder.

“Watching the Café take shape and blossom has been such a life-altering experience,” says Kirkland. “What has stayed the same is our goal to provide great service to every guest. We are often told by Members that they’re sure to renew their memberships each year just to have access to our wonderful Café.”

The mango chicken salad has been on the menu at Fogg Café since its 2014 opening. The other two menu items in its ranks: the Fogg burger and Fogg fries.

Fogg burger and Fogg fries

The Stats

Mango chicken salads sold in 2023: 5,500

Average number of mango chicken salads sold during a busy week in season: 250+

A guest favorite for a decade, now you can make the Garden’s mango chicken salad at home!

Mango Chicken Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 English cucumber
  • ½ pint of grape tomatoes
  • ¼ bunch of green onion
  • 2 sprigs fresh mint
  • 2 sprigs fresh basil
  • 2 semi-ripe mangos
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • Tostones

Instructions

  • Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and grill or pan sear. Cut into bite-size cubes.
  • Clean and de-seed cucumber. Once clean, cut cucumber into small cubes.
  • Cut grape tomatoes in half.
  • Slice green onion into small rounds. (It’s okay to go all the way down to the root.)
  • Cut basil and mint sprigs into thin strips.

For the mangos
Peel mangos and cut the flesh off the seed. Cut one mango into cubes. Place the second mango into a blender and puree. If necessary, add a splash of water. Puree until smooth.

For the build
Using two bowls, put all your dry ingredients (chicken, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, green onion, mint, basil, and cubed mango) in one and add all your wet ingredients (mango puree, orange juice, and mayonnaise) in the other.

Give your dry ingredients a quick toss with a rubber spatula. Whisk the wet ingredients together, making sure the mango puree, mayo, and orange juice are mixed in well. Slowly add your wet ingredients into the bowl with the chicken and other dry ingredients. Add dressing to your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to your preference. Dressing can be refrigerated and saved.

We accompany our salad with tostones, which can be found in your local grocery store’s freezer section. Substitution: toast.

Serves 2

Special thanks to the Fogg Café Team. This article originally appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Cultivate, the Garden’s magazine.

en en