Bandung, Warganet – A rooftop garden on the seventh floor of Rumah Deret Tamansari has become more than just a green space for residents. On Saturday (Aug. 15, 2026), vegetables and herbs grown there helped inspire a winning dish at the Tamansari 2026 Arts and Culture Festival.
The Srikandi Rancage community group, made up of residents of RW 11, Rumah Deret Tamansari, won first place in the festival’s Hasil Buruan SAE cooking competition, held at Taman Cascade along the Cikapundung River.
Their menu was simple but familiar: ayam serundeng, stir-fried water spinach and seasoned fried tempeh.
What made their dish stand out was not only the taste, but also where some of the ingredients came from.
Rather than buying everything at the market, the group used herbs and vegetables grown in their own rooftop garden.
“We grow the spices ourselves. We have a rooftop on the seventh floor, so we use what we grow there. We don’t have to buy everything,” one of the participants said.
The rooftop garden reflects how residents are making use of limited urban space to grow food. What might otherwise be an unused area has been transformed into a small community garden that can supply ingredients for everyday cooking.
For Srikandi Rancage, the competition was also about teamwork. The members worked together from choosing the menu and shopping for ingredients to preparing and cooking the dishes.
“We do it together. It’s all about teamwork,” a member of the group said.
The decision over which ingredients to buy and which to take from their rooftop garden was also made collectively.
The cooking competition was part of the Tamansari 2026 Arts and Culture Festival, bringing cultural activities closer to residents’ everyday lives.
The story of Srikandi Rancage shows that urban creativity does not always require a large space. From a rooftop on the seventh floor of Rumah Deret Tamansari, residents have created a small source of food, strengthened community ties and, ultimately, produced a dish worthy of first place.
More than a cooking victory, their achievement offers a glimpse of how unused urban spaces can become productive gardens while keeping the spirit of community cooperation alive.
