‘Measure With Your Heart’: How a 16-Year-Old Hydroponic Farmer Honors His Grandmother’s Legacy With La Soupe

Hydroponic farmer Malon E.D. James (left) and La Soupe Jr. Sous Chef Josh Sprandel (right) prepare to taste the pesto they made using supplies from James’ hydroponic tower garden, which is housed at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati.

When 16-year-old Malon E.D. James stepped foot into La Soupe’s headquarters for the first time, he finally understood how Charlie Bucket felt crossing the threshold of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

Like the whimsical, beautifully bizarre setting of author Roald Dahl’s famous 1964 novel, La Soupe seemed to exist in its own pocket of time and space as far as James was concerned.

“You turn a corner or step into a new room, and the whole atmosphere shifts—different music, different tasks, different rhythms, distinct characters as if you’ve crossed into another section of the building entirely,” James said in an email. “Nothing repeats from the room before it.”

James, however, did not visit La Soupe because of any golden ticket. Rather, he arrived at the scene ready to seize a golden opportunity: sharing his love of hydroponics, a plant-growing technique that uses water-based nutrient solutions opposed to traditional soil, while also paying homage to a loved one.

In early August, James partnered with the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati to construct a hydroponic tower garden that produces nourishing crops like bok choy, lettuce, kale, and chard. It also yields edible flowers and herbs such as marigolds and thyme.

This project, dedicated to James’ late grandmother Mattie Rosetta “Mimi” Davis-James, supports La Soupe by sending along fresh ingredients for the nonprofit's food production activities. Read on to discover how this three-way partnership helps fight food insecurity.

James’ Roots

At age 11, James became the youngest certified hydroponic farmer in the United States. After graduating high school just two years later, he turned his attention toward innovations in hydroponics and controlled-environment agriculture as a whole.

Hydroponic farmer Malon E.D. James stands by his tower garden, dedicated to his grandmother Mattie Rosetta “Mimi” Davis-James, at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati.

Beyond his independent research in collaboration with the University of Georgia and Fort Valley State University, James has founded two organizations dedicated to expanding agricultural technology and access to healthy food.

These sister endeavors—Don’t Count Me Out, Inc. and the Malon E.D. James H+D Institute, LLC—empower James to educate many people on hydroponics’ capacity to combat hunger stateside and abroad.

Though James currently resides in Atlanta, his family has meaningful ties to Cincinnati. Seeing the new tower installation flourish in Mimi’s memory feels extra special as a result, especially since she taught him the basics of gardening and hydroponics as a young child.

Now, James finds comfort in knowing that Mimi’s legacy is alive and well in the city she loved so much.

“My grandmother Mimi would visit the Civic Garden Center during her lunch break as a nurse at University Hospital and when she worked at my mother’s business at 316 W. Fourth St., before I was born,” James said. “She loved sitting in the garden and walking the trail with my mother. At CGC, I can walk the path she walked and witness the same beauty.”

Spreading the Wealth

On Aug. 6, James got his hands dirty at La Soupe’s commissary kitchen, marking his first onsite visit.

Using output from the tower, James and La Soupe chefs made pesto that would later be used to assemble grab-and-go sandwiches. This full-circle moment inspired a real sense of pride for James.

“It was really rewarding because you get to see the entire journey of the food,” James said. “You start with a seed, nurture the plant, harvest it, and then see those same plants become part of something that many people get to enjoy.”

Hydroponic farmer Malon E.D. James (left) and La Soupe Jr. Sous Chef Josh Sprandel (right) make pesto together.

James said this experience further proved to him that food doesn’t stop at the harvest. In addition, witnessing the care and diligence that La Soupe’s culinary crew put into preparing food with dignity reminded him of cooking with his loved ones.

“I asked one of the chefs how much we should measure out,” James said. “He said something Mimi would say: ‘Measure with your heart.’ That was my mother and Mimi cooking my favorite foods. It hit me that they never used measuring instruments—they were cooking with their hearts. That really hit home.”

Global Goals

As James considers the future, he hopes to boost and refine hydroponics’ presence in the food rescue sector.

Output from hydroponic farmer Malon E.D. James’ tower garden.

Internationally, James has already conducted research on disaster safety protocols and food insecurity as seen in Monrovia, Liberia. He believes hydroponics can be a valuable solution when poor weather conditions like heavy, persistent rainfall compromise farmers’ ability to grow essential crops in soil.

Closer to home, the young farmer wants to provide La Soupe with hydroponic vegetables from the CGC tower every month in his grandmother’s name and honor. And perhaps one day, employees might not even have to travel outside the nonprofit’s walls to obtain these provisions.

“I would also like to set up a hydroponic farmstand at La Soupe as a demonstration and educational tool,” James said. “I want people—especially young people and seniors—to see firsthand that they can grow food using technology, even when they don’t have access to large amounts of land.”