Minimizing Waste. Over 75% of the chefs expressed innovative ways they are able to maintain their food costs to be able to source local, sustainable food. Six participants voiced that they strive to not waste any part of a food product. The participants were inventive and used ingredients in a variety of ways. By being smart and creative, the participants are able to sustain and make use of what they have available to them. A chef upholds an ingredient’s integrity by preparing it in unique ways. Participant IV explained that he “stretches the ingredients in ways that don’t typically occur to you.” Chefs can do this in a range of ways including fermentation, pureeing, foaming, preservation, and dehydration. Some of the chefs in the interviews knew techniques to be resourceful and incorporate ingredients in diverse ways. For example, participant III repurposes ingredients by using them as vegetable scraps. He uses vegetable scraps to make a powder mix for the ‘everything bagel’ on his menu. Moreover, he preserves fruits and vegetables by jarring them, and creating jams or fermented foods. Additionally, participant VI, expressed that he integrates food scraps into his bar program. For instance, he uses citrus peels to make syrup for his cocktail menu. Using 100% of a product allows a chef to buy a product that may be more expensive. Participant I’s restaurant makes everything in-house; she explains how doing this assists in sustaining costs. She illustrates, So, we're kind of using everything that we get to ensure less waste and higher yield, and that's also a way for us to minimize food costs, because maybe the product that we are buying will have a higher cost to it, but we are able to use 100% of it without throwing anything away, in different recipes. So that approach has been proven to be very helpful in maintaining our costs.67 This mentality allows a chef to use an ingredient in not just one dish, but rather throughout their entire menu. This multipurpose usage of an ingredient in a variety of dishes makes it more worthwhile for a chef to purchase a more high-quality product. Participant I explained how the parts of animal she does not use for the porchetta dish, she incorporates into sauces and stocks. Participant VII also illuminated a similar approach to investing in an expensive product, and being smart and diligent in how he used the product. For a cow to be raised and finished the way he wanted, participant VII needed to purchase an entire cow. This purchase is ...
