Culinary Edict: Help Save the Planet

Is it possible for restaurants to keep an eye on the planet while they keep an eye on the bottom line? Many chefs and restaurateurs think so, and are willing to put their money where their consciences are.

You’ve Got to Change Your Evil Ways

Consumers worldwide are demanding that businesses accept responsibility for their impact on Mother Earth’s resources and make substantial changes to lessen that impact. Chefs and restaurateurs everywhere have either bowed to consumer pressure or voluntarily made the decision to change the way they do business.

Earth-friendly changes range from composting and recycling to using environmentally friendly restaurant fixtures, packaging, menus, and cleaning products. One restaurant that embraces these changes, Jardiniï¿½ï¿½re in San Francisco, is also “committed to local farmers, fishers, and ranchers who use sustainable practices in growing, raising, and harvesting their products,” and feel they “have demonstrated that a business can do well financially by doing good socially.”

Changes in Attitude

Different sectors of the culinary community are coming around to the eco-friendly viewpoint. The Chefs Collaborative, a national member network that promotes sustainable cuisine, has the following programs to encourage a symbiotic relationship between chefs and the local food producing community:

Seafood Solutions—educates chefs about the seasonality of fish, which species to avoid, and alternatives for over-fished varieties and suggestions for under-used varieties
Meat of the Matter—provides information about sustainable alternatives to current meat production and suggestions for under-used cuts of meat
Farmer-Chef—encourages small farmers to stay in business by bringing their fresh produce directly to the kitchen door, and provides a dialog for chefs and farmers to understand what they both need for a mutually productive relationship
RAFT (Renewing America’s Food Traditions)—identifies and restores America’s endangered foods

The culinary industry has by and large welcomed the input. “I’m thrilled to see more restaurants… offering products that show a greater concern for the environment,” says Washington, D.C. chef Barton Seaver. “As chefs, we must be proactive in both promoting and embracing this change.”

Culinary schools today offer classes that promote planet-friendly cuisine and culinary techniques. You can play an active role in this long overdue effort to ‘save the planet,’ one entrï¿½ï¿½e at a time.

About author:

Judi Sandall is a technical writer and a regular Chef School Review columnist. She is a graduate of the State University of New York, with a BA in English Literature.

Sources:

Chefs Collaborative
Jardiniï¿½ï¿½re
StarChefs.com

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