How DC restaurants rewrite the menu on sustainability

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captionElementsArray captionElements captionElementsArray forEach el if el size el style width size width px el style display block How DC restaurants rewrite the menu on sustainability Restaurants across the nation are escalating their efforts to maintain a lighter or zero carbon footprint Measures such as composting moving toward reusable containers and focusing on partnering with local farms and producers are becoming much more typical in kitchens around the nation These kinds of actions are coveted by the everyday customer with nearly of U S adults saying they are more likely visit a restaurant that employs sustainable and environmentally friendly business practices according to a account by the National Restaurant Association s State of the Industry But there are food and beverage businesses in the D C region that are raising the eco-bar proving this is only the beginning For Earth Day in WTOP s John Domen required Oyster Oyster Chef Rob Rubba what sustainability tips he had to offer For home cooks he stated at the time it s major to get involved in a composting operation avoid plastic wraps and prepackaged foods and also veer away from buying more than you need in order to lessen food waste But Rubba reported he incorporates several other innovative sustainable-forward procedures in his restaurant that set him apart from multiple other chefs This is true to the degree that Rubba is the first and at the moment only D C -proper chef in the Michelin Guide to have a Green Star which is a rating given to restaurants for their sustainability efforts The second and only other restaurant in D C s Michelin Guide to have a Green Star is The Inn at Little Washington in Washington Virginia Rubba explained WTOP that gaining the Michelin Green Star was an incredible honor but he noted they re never accolade-driven Instead what motivates his plant-forward restaurant is a zero waste commitment Rubba s list of eco-friendly practices at Oyster Oyster is both lengthy and ambitious One notable highlight is that of the cooking equipment in the kitchen uses induction or electricity rather than gas though the goal is to eventually convert to within the next limited years The businesses that Oyster Oyster works with are also operated with sustainability in mind including Deep Roots Milling the only water-powered mill in Virginia The farmers Rubba works with use collapsible containers that are reused with each trip At his restaurant leftover ingredients are never ignored For example carrot skins may be turned into a beverage pairing or added into a sauce or dried in order to be incorporated into a granola Guests may also notice votive candles at their tables made from recycled cooking oil local beeswax and empty oyster shells Excess bread may be turned into a miso paste Even leftover water in customers cups may be reused to water the plants at the restaurant We re dependably thinking about an ingredient as never waste never scrap Rubba declared It s just an upcycled ingredient Another method the business uses is a glass crusher to turn empty wine bottles into dinnerware for the restaurant thanks to a partnership with Maryland-based Material Things Studio The materials used in the chef s coats are also considered with only cotton and hemp used and they re washed with noncorrosive materials For customers who want a take-home memento consider the recycled paper menu with flower seeds ingrained inside each one Nothing really demands to go in the trash Rubba announced We don t have a traditional trash can at the restaurant Very rewarding Rubba isn t alone in reshaping the food and beverage industry to be more eco-friendly At the French neo bistro known as Lut ce Chef de Cuisine Bruno Enciso narrated WTOP reducing food waste is an essential and everyday mission at the Georgetown eatery One of the tactics in which the unit at Lut ce showcases leftover ingredients is through their nonalcoholic kombucha which is made in-house using food scraps The restaurant s drink is made with seasonal ingredients such as rhubarb and tastes fresher brighter fruitier and less acidic than similar kinds located in supermarket aisles We definitely want to reduce waste as much as doable where we can see fit Enciso revealed Since the restaurant has been serving different types of kombucha on its menu such as a Tepache-inspired version made with fermented pineapple peels sugar and warm spices such as clove cinnamon and star anise Other no-brainer sustainable methods as described by Enciso include reducing food waste by making stock out of leftover bones or vegetable scraps fermenting the ends of asparagus to create a concentrated flavor booster for sauces reusing excess vegetable juices for cocktails and dehydrating the tops of ramps to later be blitzed into a powder for seasoning Countless of the leftover ingredients are spur of the moment ideas but also in constant consideration especially if these products can be reused to add unexpected layers of flavor to a dish We re moving with whatever inspires us Enciso stated Being environmentally friendly and sustainably-minded could seem daunting to specific who may not be familiar with the practices as Rubba put it it s this really vague term and it s a big umbrella If you just start with one thing and then keep progressing and trying to change a little bit in your life day in day out the results in the end are going to be very rewarding Rubba announced Source