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Chow: Stewardship starts in the kitchen |
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Written by Paul Raymore
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Wednesday, 19 December 2007 |
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What do we love about eating out?
Not having to cook? Definitely.
Getting to try new flavor combinations? Of course.
Doing something for the environment? Well, sure. For today, a number of establishments around the Tahoe area have started taking environmental stewardship seriously and have embarked on a mission to green the local restaurant industry.
We asked a number of local chefs and restaurateurs what they are doing to promote sustainability in their establishments and got a wide range of responses, everything from Mark Estee’s philosophy of “fresh, simple, local and seasonal” to Ed Coleman’s catalogue of the measures Pacific Crest Grill takes to contribute to the effort.
Hopefully, by reading some of the responses we received, you’ll take a look at how the choices you make when eating out can help us achieve a sustainable future.
— Paul Raymore, Chow editor
Ed Coleman — Owner/Proprietor Pacific Crest Grill
In a scenic place like Truckee, it’s inevitable that the environment is respected among locals and visitors. At Pacific Crest Grill we are committed to applying sustainable restaurant business practices. It’s important to note that our restaurant is not the sole dining establishment in the Tahoe area that honors such a philosophy. Below, you will find specifics on how we choose to make our contribution to this effort.
 At Pacific Crest Grill, seasonal cuisine featuring the freshest available produce and seafood shapes our evolving menu. But beyond quality as our number one criteria, we are also sourcing products grown or raised as close to our restaurant as possible in order to help minimize our carbon footprint.
That includes choosing fresh wild fish from the fisheries of the California Coast when possible, followed by the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, Hawaii, Mexico and South America as a secondary source. We make a conscious effort to use sustainable, eco-friendly varieties of farmed fish such as catfish, rainbow trout and tilapia whenever possible. We also buy shrimp that is raised without cutting coastal forests, polluting or encroaching on coastal eco-systems, or disrupting human coastal habitats.
 Late in 2006, we developed a relationship with a nearby ranching family, the Lekumberrys of Trimmer Ranch in Genoa, Nevada, who provide us with free-range, grass-fed, naturally raised beef. These cattle graze in an alpine meadows only 30 miles from Truckee, as the crow flies. We purchase an entire steer at a time and present each cut on our menu, in order to take advantage of using all the meat. Nothing is wasted — even the bone and marrow is used in the stocks and sauces.
My friend and colleague, Mark Estee, chef/owner of Moody’s, turned me on to making the switch from using imported olive oil to using oil made by a more local farm, California Olive Ranch, in Oroville, California. This simple measure avoids wasteful spending on fossil fuels to ship a product halfway around the globe. California-made oil is also fresher as oils from Greece or Italy are generally at least one year or more old.
At Pacific Crest Grill, we have made additional efforts to be more eco-friendly by establishing a program that separates glass, cardboard and used canola-only cooking oil for recycling. And here’s another cool practice: all of our disposable beer cups and to-go containers are all made from cornstarch materials that are biodegradable.
For those of us who live here in Truckee and Tahoe, we care about what we put in our systems, we try to live by healthy standards, we recycle, we try to buy local and we hope to make a difference. We like to work hard, play harder, live well and do it all sustainably.
— Ed Coleman, owner/proprietor of Pacific Crest Grill and Bar of America
Mark Estee — Executive Chef/Co-Owner Moody’s Bistro & Lounge
Ask Mark Estee about his convictions when it comes to sourcing products and you’ll likely hear his mantra of “fresh, simple, local and seasonal.” So it’s no surprise to hear that Estee is big on environmentally friendly practices in the restaurant business:
 “We’ve been doing it since the day we opened. That’s just how I was brought up.
“When I was at Chez Panisse, Alice Waters looked me in the face and asked, ‘Why don’t you just grow your vegetables in your restaurant?’ And I was like, ‘That’s blasphemy. How can you do that here?’ But as time has gone on we’ve tried to get as close to that as possible.
“It’s really a social movement, but at the same time I think restaurants are responsible for where we source our products from. That’s the biggest statement we can make.
“And the way you look at that is: go look at everyone’s menu and see what they’re serving. For me, I don’t want to serve things that come from far away. That’s the first thing we look at....
“You don’t need to get anything from outside this country, or really even from too far away. But people continue to use farm-raised fish from Vietnam or other crazy stuff. It just doesn’t make sense to me...
“It costs more money to get food locally, believe it or not. But, the savings come to the world. And that’s what consumers are looking for.”
Douglas Dale — Chef/Owner Wolfdale’s Cuisine Unique
Wolfdale’s Chef and Owner Douglas Dale has long been known as a master of creative seafood dishes, which used to be enough to ensure a packed house. But lately, he has noticed his customers asking a lot more questions about where and how his seafood was caught, if it’s in season, etc., and he has made a conscious effort to only serve seafood that is sustainably harvested.
“Everybody has become aware of the sustainability of what we’re buying... I don’t even have to ask [suppliers] anymore. They sit me down and tell me about their carbon footprint, where everything comes from and if it’s in season.”
Ashley Brimm — Owner Austin’s Restaurant
Since taking over Austin’s Restaurant five years ago, owners Ashley and John Brimm have begun integrating more and more eco-friendly practices into their daily operations.
From biodegradable take-out containers and bags supplied by Nalca Networks, to saving their used cooking oil for individuals who turn it into biofuel, and a comprehensive recycling program, the restaurant is taking steps to reduce its impact on the environment.
“For us, it’s more about how we live our personal lives,” said Ashley Brimm. “And we just want to integrate those practices into our business.”
Mike Blide — Owner Cottonwood Restaurant
Cottonwood Owner Mike Blide has long been a champion of environmental causes, especially local efforts to expand the trail network in Truckee. So it’s not surprising to hear that Cottonwood is doing what they can to promote sustainable practices within the kitchen as well.
“We recycle galore — recycle glass, recycle paper, recycle cardboard,” he said. “We’re stuck in a little bit of a different situation in our building because it’s like heating a fishnet, so our carbon footprint is probably larger than I would like it to be.”
According to Blide, Chef Dave Smith sources organic produce from the Sierra Valley when possible and chooses grass-fed, hormone-free beef for the Cottonwood menu.
“A lot of people say, ‘Where is the salmon coming from?’ And I think that’s a cool trend that’s going on,” Blide said. “I think everyone has to respond to that, so we’re doing what we can.”
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 20 December 2007 )
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