Seacoast Waste Not: Gather, chefs partner to tackle food waste and hunger

PORTSMOUTH — Gather, a nonprofit that provides free food to residents in 59 communities in southern New Hampshire, has announced a new initiative to utilize excess food from the hospitality industry.

The new program, Seacoast Waste Not, is comprised of chefs and food industry leaders committed to reducing food waste by donating their surplus ingredients to Gather.

Gather has created a system of picking up the food from participating caterers, restaurants and clubs, and then preparing healthy meals that will be available for those in need at Gather’s food pantry in Portsmouth.

Tania Marino, culinary director for Gather, said Seacoast Waste Not feeds those in need and also diverts excess food that would otherwise end up in landfills.

“It’s estimated that in the U.S., almost 40% of food produced goes to waste and 10% of our households don’t have enough healthy food to eat," said Marino, who is spearheading the new program. "In many cases, food tossed into landfills is wholesome and fresh, so this initiative is a win/win. We are excited and grateful to the hospitality community for their commitment to Seacoast Waste Not."

Restaurateur Evan Mallet says Black Trumpet has been composting for 17 years but it’s not enough.

“Our Seacoast community is really going to set an example for others to follow," he said. "We, as chefs, are often working with really good quality ingredients and we discard more than we should, so this is an opportunity to get the food out there into the Gather community.”

Mark Segal, the executive chef of Fold’d Community Diner, said the scale of the initiative makes it enticing for restaurants to participate.

"I don’t know anyone who enjoys throwing away good food, but chefs will often feel like they don’t have large enough quantities to participate in a meaningful way, but that’s not the case," he said. "With this initiative, it doesn’t need to be 50lbs of this or a case of that. If you have a few deli containers that Gather can help turn into a sauce - fantastic - let them know, and they’ll come get it.”

Those interested in joining the coalition should fill out an application form on www.SeacoastWasteNot.org.

Marino and her volunteers organize the pickup and create the recipes to repurpose the food into nutritious meals prepared at Gather’s Cooking 4 Community kitchens. The meals are then packaged for delivery to the Gather food pantry.

“Maintaining food safety through all the processes is a priority,” said Marino.

Seacoast Waste Not, she said, accepts a wide array of donations, including perishable and nonperishable foods, fresh or frozen items, single ingredients or fully prepared offerings.

Participants can be any food provider − restaurants, chefs, caterers, farms, country clubs, and hotels.

Nina Parrott of Fifth Flavor catering is a founding member of the coalition.

“Reducing food waste in my kitchen saves money and the planet, feeds hungry people, and forces me to be a more creative chef," she said. "It’s easy to cook with expensive, high-end ingredients, but I think some of my best dishes have come from challenging myself to use the seeds, roots, stalks, and leaves in interesting ways. I’m so excited to be a part of this coalition; not only to teach but to learn from the other amazing Seacoast chefs dedicated to the same cause.”

The 10 founding members of SWS include Black Trumpet’s Evan Mallett, Fifth Flavor’s Nina Parrott, Vida Cantina’s David Vargas, Ore Nell’s Tim Barr, Jumpin’ Jay’s Harley Smith, Favorite Foods’ Chris Barstow, Mark Segal from Fold’d, Jennifer Desrosiers from Altitude Companies, Sarah Cox from Tuckaway Farms and Paul Simbliaris from Tuckaway Tavern.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Seacoast chefs tackle food waste to help Gather feed the hungry