Is It Really So Offal? 'Ugly Food' Boot Camp Entices Chefs And Diners
Teams of cooks are making dishes from food that many American consumers would overlook — or even consciously avoid — as part of a sustainability project aimed at reducing food waste in the U.S.
Thirteen chefs divide into teams and begin to prepare appetizers, salads, mains and sides, and desserts. At their disposal are 300 pounds of "ugly" produce just rescued from local farms: purple cauliflower, cherries, shiitake mushrooms, pears, fingerling potatoes, shallots, kale and carrots.
Most of it looks super-fresh, though in some cases the produce is dinged or oddly colored enough to be unappealing to distributors.
The chefs, who have come to in Cold Spring, N.Y., from around the country, tonight are making dishes predominantly from food that many American consumers would overlook — or, which is on a mission to reduce by one-fifth the generated annually by U.S. restaurants and food service providers.
