Welcome to Table Talk, where The Daily Memphian writers and editors send the latest food news — along with a dash of this and that — directly to your inbox every Wednesday.

A good chef is a creative chef. 

Not only will a good chef rise to the challenge of creating unique and delicious dishes, but to keep restaurants financially viable, they also have to be creative, using every bit of a piece of produce or cut of meat that they can.

Waste means a cut into what are already slim profit margins. But the idea of being less wasteful goes beyond finances, it is about being more sustainable and lessening our impact on the environment.

Next week, there is a culinary event that showcases this creativity: Reharvest Memphis.

Project Green Fork Project Manager Leann Edwards described the nonprofit’s signature fundraiser as “a celebration of sustainability, creativity and community impact.

“By partnering with local chefs and using surplus ingredients, this event shows how deliciously surplus food can be transformed into something remarkable,” she said. 

Attendees will experience firsthand how Memphis can turn excess into opportunity, helping to nourish neighbors and reduce waste.

“Each dish tells a story of resourcefulness, with local culinary talent leading the way,” Edwards said. 

I have been to this event several times, and I think it’s a fun and delicious way to learn.

Full disclaimer, I have been a fan of Project Green Fork since its inception. The nonprofit, which is now part of Clean Memphis, launched in 2008, and when I worked as a restaurant consultant, I always encouraged my clients to participate.

Project Green Fork and Clean Memphis have a goal to divert 90% of participating restaurants’ waste from the landfill. Last year, they reached 98% diversion. That’s an amazing accomplishment.

The restaurants’ recyclable materials are handled by Get Green Recycleworks, and food scraps go to The Compost Fairy.

Food appropriate for donation is sent to Merge Memphis. Since August alone, more than 67,000 pounds of surplus food has been donated and rescued within the Project Green Fork network. Wow!

New restaurant JEM Dining is one of the newest Project Green Fork-certified restaurants.

“Being a part of PGF is a great honor. It’s not only where the restaurant industry trends are headed, but it is objectively the right thing to do for the betterment of the environment, society and our future as a whole,” said JEM Dining chef and owner Joshua Mutchnick. 

Muddy’s Bake Shop was one of the first businesses to join Project Green Fork and has been Project Green Fork-certified for more than 15 years.

“Project Green Fork provides excellent resources for operating in a more environmentally friendly way and is always a trusted and knowledgeable partner,” Muddy’s owner Kat Gordon said. 

Both Mutchnick and Gordon are participating in Reharvest this year, as is chef Terrance Whitley of Inspire Community Cafe, chef Monique Williams of Biscuits & Jams, chef Daishu McGriff of Shroomlicious Meals and chef David Krog of the now-closed Dory Restaurant.

Each chef will craft surprising hors d’oeuvres using surplus ingredients from the Mid-South Food Bank, Cordelia’s Market and Alpha Omega Veteran Services, transforming what would have gone to waste into extraordinary dishes.

I am looking forward to trying every bite and being inspired to get creative (and be less wasteful) in my own kitchen.

Reharvest Memphis is Thursday, Nov. 14, at Collage Dance Center and starts at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $79.57 and can be purchased at Eventbrite.com.

This Week on Memphis’ restaurant scene

Bar DKDC was filled during chef Karen Carrier’s one-night popup Do Sushi in Cooper Young March 23, 2022. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian file)

I shared 10 food and drink events this month that need to be on your calendar. Happenings range from a spirits-inspired chocolate-tasting dinner to a “buzz-worthy” festival that highlights all things coffee — and lots more.

Andrea LeTard uses leftover Halloween candy to make a homemade milkshake. (Courtesy Andrea LeTard)

In addition to those events, a few more have come to my attention recently. If you were a fan of chef Karen Carrier’s Do Sushi restaurant, you need to put Thursday, Nov. 14, on your calendar. Carrier will be hosting a Do Sushi pop-up that night at Bar DKDC in Cooper-Young. Seating starts at 4:30 p.m.

Celtic Crossing has two events coming up in the next week. The Irish pub, also in Cooper-Young, will host Cider Fest on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees can enjoy build-your-own cider flights, homemade mulled cider with or without booze, cider cocktails, food specials, live music, prizes and more. On Thursday, Nov. 14, owner DJ Naylor will host a whiskey pairing dinner. The dinner will feature three rare whiskeys carefully selected by Naylor and paired with a three-course menu curated by chefs Reny Alfonso and Darius Hudson. Tickets to the dinner are $80 and can be purchased at Eventbrite.com.

In last week’s Sound Bites podcast, Holly Whitfield talked with Andrea LeTard. The cookbook author and content creator offered a cornucopia of ideas for creating a warm atmosphere and celebrating through the winter holidays.

LeTard also shared her recipes for Pumpkin Short Rib Chili and a Candy Milkshake.

Sophia Surrett visited Memphis Filling Station for Downtown Dining Week, and reported on the new Chick-fil-A that opened earlier this month in Horn Lake and a Starbucks opening in West Memphis in 2025.

The Idly at Desi Adda are savory, spicy, pillowy, buttery and surprisingly filling for $7.99. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Jody Callahan reported that local game parlor Board to Beers is moving to the former McAlister’s Deli in Poplar Plaza, which will more than triple the space it currently has.

And, Joshua Carlucci’s $10 Deal column last week was all about the Indian fare at the Desi Adda food truck at the corner of Park Avenue and South Highland Street. 

Thanks for joining me for this week’s Table Talk. Be sure to look for this column weekly for all the latest food news in Memphis.

.....