If you’ve been on social media recently you’ve probably heard about the newest movement in our food industry – food rescue. This movement sheds light on the amount of waste that exists in our current food system from both consumers and corporate food production. Food rescue is the practice of retrieving edible food that would otherwise go to waste and distributing it to those in need. This cause is particularly important to us at the Ride for Food because food waste and hunger, unfortunately, exist together in our society.
- Citrus and cherries top the list for fruits, and sweet potatoes, onions, and greens are the most commonly wasted vegetables.
- Americans threw away 40 percent of all food produced for consumption. This number has increased by 50 percent since the 1970s
- The total value of all waste food estimated to be around $165 billion a year.
- Cutting our food waste by half would have the same effect as taking half the cars off our roads
- The Department of Agriculture estimated that recovering just 5 percent of the food that is wasted could feed 4 million people a day
Ultimate Food Rescue Challenge
On August 18th, five teams of top area chefs will display their innovative talents in transforming rescued food into a spectacular tasting menu at the Ultimate Food Rescue Challenge. The majority of ingredients used will be collected hours before the event and the chefs will be challenged to quickly and creatively produce dazzling dishes for attendees. The evening will help raise awareness of food insecurity and food waste in Massachusetts. Tickets are $75 per person and all proceeds will go our 18 local non-profit partners working to reduce hunger, food waste and food insecurity in the Boston area.
Attendees will not only be treated to exceptional cuisine but also the occasion to engage with chefs, about their creations and discussions around changing the way we look at food and our food systems. Chef Joe Gatto, Private Chef, Culinary Instructor, author and host of the cutting edge cooking show From Scratch, is looking forward to participating in the dinner and states “I just feel the cause is fantastic and falls perfectly in line with my philosophy on giving back.” Chef Frank Van Overbeeke, who oversees meal preparation for the guests of Pine Street Inn as well as meals for the iCater social enterprise’s catering customers, will ably demonstrate that meals for the hungry can be delicious and eye catching as well as nutritious and filling. Ismail Samad, the Executive Chef of Daily Table, a nonprofit grocery in Boston, Massachusetts designed to simultaneously address the issues of food insecurity, nutritional health, and wasted food, is the third in the lineup of chefs for the evening and is a renowned expert in food rescue meal creation. We are also lucky to have incredible sponsors for the event including Verde Farms and Russo’s.
The event will be hosted at Les Zygomates – an iconic Boston landmark, award-winning wine bar, and live jazz bistro in the Leather District. The evening will be complemented by a live auction and live jazz. Mark Tosi, owner of Les Zygomates. “As restaurateurs, food rescue is a critical and relevant dialogue that we wish more were engaged in these days. In addition, the concerns centered around food insecurity and helping those in need should always be at the forefront of our daily thinking and actions.” — Get your tickets today!
Not all food superheroes wear capes! If you’re interested in learning more about food rescue in Boston check out the work of our incredible partner organizations: