“Professional chefs use every technique they can to try and reduce food waste in the kitchen – wasted food is wasted profit.”
Auckland Council has been working with the talented students at the AUT catering school to inspire Aucklanders to love their leftovers in a bid to reduce food waste.
Students sitting a Diploma in Culinary Arts created crafty dishes of Baked Bread Pudding and Muffin Case Tarts for the council’s Love Food Hate Waste event in Britomart last week – all from food that would’ve been wasted.
The programme Leader at AUT’s School of Hospitality and Tourism, Glenys Casci, says the Love Food Hate Waste philosophy is ingrained in how they teach.
“We aim to maximise the use of every ingredient and generate as little food waste as possible," she says.
"Food is a precious resource that should be treated with respect."
“We love working with the community and it has been fantastic for the students to help out with Auckland Council’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign. It has been good practice, too, as often this is just the type of ingenious, bulk cooking that happens in commercial kitchens.”
Culinary Arts Student Dhruv Mohan was part of the class cooking with the products due to be binned.
“It may not be in its prime but this is good produce which is still edible," he said. "There’s so many ways to maximise food, like using bones for stock, that letting fresh produce go to waste is such a shame."
“Professional chefs use every technique they can to try and reduce food waste in the kitchen – wasted food is wasted profit.”
The school has its own sustainable methods for disposing of food waste. They include electric composting and a worm farm, which in turn fertilise the school’s own rooftop garden.
Students regularly cook for AUT’s restaurant Four Seasons, cafe Piko and a takeaway bar – all of which are open to the public.
Find out more about the courses available.
Auckland Council is supporting Love Food Hate Waste activities in Auckland throughout November.
For more information, event schedules and recipe inspiration, visit makethemostofwaste.co.nz
For leftovers inspiration and more check out lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz
