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Why isn’t sustainability considered sexy? What’s so alluring about mass consumption that we keep taking the smallest pleasures at the largest costs even when we know we’re draining our own resources?

For me, the opposite has typically been true, especially in food spaces. Chefs who find ways to reduce food waste are the ones who inspire me the most. They’re not just resourceful; they’re spectacularly imaginative. And their dishes often look and taste nothing like everyday American fare.

They also push me to be more creative in my own kitchen.

Yes, Rachael Ray taught me to always keep a garbage bowl nearby when I’m cooking. But others have since taught me to take intention and preparedness a step further — to blend beet greens into smoothies, saute carrot tops with garlic and shallots and save veggie scraps for stocks and soups.

Monique "Chef Mo" Williams of Biscuits & Jams and The Juke Speakeasy chats with diners at Reharvest 2024. (Courtesy Project Green Fork)

Imagine what could happen in our dining communities if we all cooked with that kind of thoughtfulness? 

Maybe that’s why I’m so excited to attend my first Reharvest event Thursday, Oct. 9. The annual Project Green Fork fundraiser, now in its sixth year, celebrates exactly that spirit: turning surplus ingredients into something deliciously extraordinary.

During the event, chefs such as Sarah Cai and Arturo Leighton of Good Fortune Co., Josh Mutchnick of JEM Dining and others will spotlight the connection between sustainability and what we eat. More than 10 chefs and restaurants representing Project Green Fork-certified businesses will showcase their culinary styles at booths throughout Crosstown Concourse’s east atrium. And they will all be using ingredients, rescued from Cordelia’s Market and the Mid-South Food Bank, that might otherwise end up in landfills.

Joshua and Emily Mutchnick own JEM Dining. (Benjamin Naylor/The Daily Memphian file)

“Perfectly good food shouldn’t end up in a landfill when it can nourish our neighbors,” said Leann Edwards, director of Project Green Fork. “Food rescue is one of the simplest, most immediate ways we can make a difference.”

But the chefs won’t just be cooking for guests. They’ll also be doing a “Chopped”-style challenge where they’ll be tasked with repurposing broccoli stalks in creative ways. 

Beyond Thursday’s Reharvest dining event, Project Green Fork works to build a sustainable culinary scene in Memphis by helping local restaurants and organizations reduce food waste, connects businesses and nonprofits to one another and introduces “green dining” concepts to both diners and restaurateurs throughout the city.

“Reharvest shows how chefs, businesses and nonprofits can come together to turn what might be wasted into something beautiful and something that feeds Memphis,” Edwards said.

Maybe sustainability isn’t always sexy at first glance, but watching chefs transform overlooked ingredients into inventive, crave-worthy dishes makes it impossible to ignore.

If you’re curious to see chefs create from necessity rather than privilege, consider dining at any of the Project Green Fork-certified restaurants around town or attending Reharvest on Thursday, Oct. 9, at Crosstown Concourse. I’ll be there, expectant, curious and hungry.

This week on the Memphis food scene

Sophia Surrett has details on the breakfast chain eyeing its second Memphis location just weeks after opening its first in Food Files.

Months after a logo controversy took over national headlines, a “country store” is closing one of its only Memphis locations.

Cracker Barrel closed its Shelby Oaks Drive location in Memphis. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP file)

Michael Waddell explores the international flavors and exotic tastes now available at a new market in Bartlett.

Erica Horton has found an array of $15 lunch specials at The Liquor Store. She lets us know what’s being offered when and what to look forward to.

Fans of sweet and savory flavor combinations will like finding out “what to order” at Rise Southern Biscuits and Righteous Chicken — and it ain’t the chicken.

The City of Memphis has approved plans for a “Gussied Up” addition to Bar Limina in The Edge District. Dima Amro details how the owners of the two businesses plan to spend their six-figure budget.

A new Indian restaurant in Collierville is serving up dishes from nearly every region of the Asian subcontinent. 

And tell me you’re tuning into “The AM/DM,” The Daily Memphian’s new(ish) morning podcast. I stopped by to chat in Tuesday morning’s episode about this latest rash of restaurant disasters.

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