Page 19 - foodservice news magazine Nov-Dec 2018
P. 19

FOOD WASTE
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GH: Yes, especially over the last couple of years. I think people are increasingly wanting to know where their food comes from, where that food is grown and raised, how it's processed, how we're dealing with it, and, ultimately, how it's wasted. We've seen it in our consumers and
it's growing all the time. And as business owners and restaurateurs we need to have the answers for them, and probably have a good look at ourselves and see what we are actually doing and what we can do to make people happy when they come to our restaurants so that they keep doing so.
AC: What is your top tip for reducing food waste in the commercial kitchen?
ML: I think the first tip would be, if you're going to be a food vendor, to construct a menu where you can buy a whole product and you can find a use for everything. You buy your carrots on a bushel and you use
your carrot tops to make a pesto. You buy whole animals so you break them down and you use the bones to make a broth, and you braise the secondary cuts. You use your prime cuts.
I would also say that having some of the infrastructure
that can really reduce your waste is phenomenal, like the juggler milk system. It's pretty significant for a cafe that's doing 30, 40 kilos of coffee a week.
A cardboard box compactor is another great one, so everything you get bailed can be sent
off. And, then, trying to get yourself involved with your local community in regards to doing some level of composting.
GH: There's a growing number of local farmers and producers who are reluctant to go through middlemen who are taking too much money. I think if you
try and find those people and go direct to them, you’ve got a chance to cut out so many
individual processes, you're effectively supporting farmers in cutting out waste.
TP: When you're engineering a menu, the first thing is to look at the waste. I don't think it's natural for a chef to do that but it's how we operate. For example, we've got broccoli on our menu with some beef cheeks, but that’s actually just the florets. We pickle the stem. There is zero waste in that broccoli. You should be looking at trying to use every part of it, not just the prime cut of whatever it may be.
JB: I think the idea of seasons is the big one. Seasons, it's old school, but it's the best way plus if you grow your own food, then you understand. But, to try and get something slightly out of season means that you need to spray it,
or heat it, or grow it under cover, so there's a lot of extra energy that goes into widening a season or
to try and get something out of season. If you get stuff in season, it's always going to be better.


































































































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