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Annual Taste of Cambridge Pledges to Produce Zero Waste or "Darn Close"

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Cambridge (Massachusetts) Chronicle, June 8, 2009

Cambridge — The 7th Annual Taste of Cambridge on June 18 in it's new location at the Charles Hotel, features 55 local restaurants who are committed to providing the most sensational "taste of" event with the least negative environmental impact possible.

"Going green will never taste the same after sampling the sumptuous and mindfully served dishes in abundance at the Taste of Cambridge," said Denise Jillson, Executive Director of the Harvard Square Business Association — one of the event co-chairs along with Robin Lapidus (HSBA) and Jeffrey Moy, Hong Kong Restaurant.

The Taste of Cambridge presented by the Cambridge Licensee Advisory Board (CLAB) celebrates our city's diverse restaurant scene while benefiting local charities. TOC has raised over $50,000 for local non-profit organizations that hold the prevention of underage drinking and alcohol abuse as key components of their mission. This year's beneficiaries are Youth on Fire, under the auspices of Cambridge Cares About AIDS and Club Passim's Culture for Kids / Music Speaks program.

This year we've added another goal to the Taste of Cambridge (TOC) event, a "zero waste (or darn close)" outcome to help protect the environment, reduce waste, and lower event disposal expenses.

In addition to collecting recyclables at the TOC, this year we are piloting a new program to collect and compost all food remains and service-ware that is bio-degradable. To implement our "zero waste (or darn close)" pilot program, we have collaborated with Taste of Cambridge participating restaurants, vendors, and location hosts to make composting at such a large scale tasting event feasible.

We have asked our participants to try to follow new pilot Zero Waste program guidelines to the best of their abilities! We will continue to work with the city of Cambridge on sustainability initiatives and hope to fully implement the Zero Waste program at next year's event.

Our proposed Taste of Cambridge waste reduction guidelines were developed in collaboration with Northeast Recycling Council and Save that Stuff. The"Taste of" event guidelines for participating restaurants are as follows:

  • Use only reusable, compostable or recyclable dishware.
  • No Styrofoam (polystyrene), other plastic serviceware, plastic film or plastic bags for serving food.
  • Do not provide straws or lids.
  • Use wooden coffee stirrers.
  • Foods that need wrapping, such as cookies and pastries can be wrapped in wax paper or contained in wax paper baggies.
  • Serve beverages in aluminum cans and plastic bottles, or compostable cups.
  • Consider providing a "spork" instead of both spoons and forks.
  • Consider serving food that requires minimal packaging (such as foil or napkin), foods that come with "edible wrappers," such as burritos, or "finger foods."
  • Use refillable pump condiment dispensers or bulk containers instead of individual packages of condiments (sugar, cream, ketchup, mustard, etc.)
  • Dispense napkins upon request.
  • Flatten cardboard for recycling.
  • Place food wastes and paper (such as paper towels, napkins, etc.) in the compost container.

We have encouraged our restaurants to check with their food service-ware sales reps for compostable products and have recommended www.BPIWorld.org as a great resource. We also suggested two local distributors of Green Ware products Mansfield Paper (800) 225-2641 www.mansfieldpaper.comand John Calarese & Company, Inc. (800) 221-2384 or (508) 533-5700 in Medway, MA www.jcalarese.com

Our participating restaurants, the Charles Hotel, and the City of Cambridge Recycling Department made terrific recommendations on how to best achieve our Zero Waste (or darn close) Pilot Program goals! We asked several Taste of Cambridge participants what specific steps they have taken to become more waste efficient in their preparations for this year's TOC and here is a highlight:

Boloco will recycle or compost all waste collected from the materials distributed at our table at the event. Bins will be marked and Boloco employees will be on-hand to educate attendees on the benefits of recycling and composting, and to direct them as to which bins to place used materials in! The corn cups and bamboo bowls that we regularly use in our restaurant are 100 % compostable, and the recycling program in place in our restaurants has prevented 175 tons (yes TONS) from going into the landfill!

Jose's Mexican Restaurant in North Cambridge is planning to recycle cans, cartons, boxes, aluminum, and all food waste. They said that since they became members of Save That Stuff they recycle everything including all compostable food waste. Several of our participants who are members of Save that Stuff and the Green Restaurant Association were fully up to speed on the pilot program request.

As Mary Catherine Deibel of UpStairs on the Square pointed out "going green is a process - it takes time and sometimes requires upfront costs, but in the long run you know you are doing the right thing, and it will save you money particularly in the energy department." She added "going green has been great for staff morale because the young people who work in restaurants believe in the future of the planet and they have come to see this as a way of life."

As members of the Green Restaurant Association for the past three years, UpStairs on the Square, has followed the GRA program of "getting green" step by step. They are recycling, soon will be composting, have replaced equipment with energy efficient brands, changed light bulbs, gone to green take-out containers, and now use house-produced sparkling and still water (rather than buying bottled water).

Holly Heslop, owner of Cambridge Common, Christopher's, Lizard Lounge, Toad, and the West Side Lounge says "We opened Christopher's 28 years ago with a commitment to going green (long before we ever heard that term!). All these years later, we recycle bottles, paper, cardboard, and plastic and we compost at all of our restaurants. Whenever possible we use earth-friendly supplies: our ramekins are made from corn and are completely biodegradable, we use eco-friendly take out containers and, our fry oil is recycled and converted into bio fuel."

One important new addition to the Taste of Cambridge energy and waste reduction is our new HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE tray with wine and beer cup holders and thumb drive (or place to hold the tray with your thumb!). Instead of handing out plates at each of the 50 plus food tables.all attendees will be provided a lovely tray to hold a sizable collection of gustatory goodies! Many of our restaurants including "Bukowski's" wrote to say that they were planning to create delicious finger foods in an effort to reduce plate waste. Redline is serving Carne Asada Steak on a wooden skewer with napkins that are recycled, in order to cut-out the need for utensils or plates. The folks at Om restaurant will also skip the plates, and our "sweet" friends at Finale put in a big order for wooden spoons for this occasion.

The Taste of Cambridge event committee was delighted with the "green event planning experience" of the staff at the Charles Hotel, who made wonderful suggestions about designing and executing an event with the least negative environmental impact. "Everything," from the compostable Burlap Table Coverings we opted for over linen (which needed laundering), to the potted plant restaurant name plaques, was carefully thought through.

The Charles Hotel has recently won several distinguished awards for their Green Efforts. Chef Peter Davis and the Henrietta's Table staff recently received the Boston Business Journal's Sustainable Boston 2009: Green Business Awards for Innovation.

Chef Davis enthusiastically supports local farmers and local fisherman, buying only products that he hand-chooses with the assistance of local purveyors, and refusing to use genetically-engineered food. Not only does this support of local farmers provide fresher food for Henrietta's Table, but it also reduces the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the environment by decreasing the distance the food has to travel.

He is a member of Chefs Collaborative - a group that partners with local farmers, ranchers, and artisanal producers, and develops new systems that allow them to stay in business while providing farm-fresh produce directly to kitchen doors.

Chef Davis is indeed dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture. Since 2005, Henrietta's Table has provided guests with "Know Your Farmers" baseball-type cards. These unique cards inform guests what farm their food comes from, provide stats and photos from New England's best producers, and promote the best practice of buying local products. The cards are distributed with check-stuffers in the restaurant, and complete sets are given out in the market at Henrietta's Table. The cards are so unique that they have even been profiled in USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and Food Arts.

Even behind the scenes at Henrietta's Table, there are environmentally friendly practices in place. Here, all trash is sorted for biodegradable and compostable waste and is given to Save That Stuff, a local compost service. This compost is picked up three to seven times per week, depending on production, and enables the restaurant to limit the amount of garbage that it produces. The waste is even disposed of in environmentally friendly bags. "BioBags" are made with corn and are designed to biodegrade within a month. Henrietta's Table in The Charles Hotel is the only lodging facility in the greater Boston area to implement such an important practice for the environment, and the hotel was recently profiled by NECN (New England Cable News) for putting this program into effect.

This past year, the environmentally friendly practices of Henrietta's Table and its staff have led to great accomplishments and recognitions. Henrietta's Table was the recipient of the City of Cambridge's 2008 GoGreen Awards for Waste Reduction, as well as for "Regional Sustainability" by the Santé Magazine Awards.

For those lucky enough to work with Chef Davis, they learn about an individual's relationship with the Earth and ways in which they can make a difference. "Chef Davis is indeed one-of-a-kind," says Charles Hotel, General Manager Alex Attia. "He guides his staff and encourages us each to be a steward of the Earth."

In addition to Henrietta's Table participants at the 2009 Taste of Cambridge include: Hungry Mother, Grafton Street Pub & Grill, Chez Henri, The Border Cafe, The Asgard, Craigie on Main, East Coast Grill, Rialto, Hong Kong Restaurant, Jasper White's Summer Shack, Noir, Finale, Savenor's Market, Formaggio Kitchen, Sandrine's Bistro, Legal Sea Foods and many, many, many more.

Highlights of this year's events include:

  • Dancing to music by Afro-Brazil, DJs from "Soul Clap" and the Sweet and Low Down.
  • Special areas include a Pastry Corner, a Region of Grills, a Garden of Beer and Wines, and a VIP area featuring specially designed Grey Goose Cocktails prepared by our Celebrity Bartenders.
  • NEW THIS YEAR - A Tasting Ticket for Kids under Twelve (accompanied by a parent). This is a great event for exposing the kids to new flavors and foods in an entertaining and inviting (no pressure) manner.there is so much for them to choose from, and it all looks, smells, and tastes so good - it's hard for even the pickiest kid to resist! Kids Tasting Tickets are available for $15.00 each for children aged Six to Twelve and kids under six are free!

The Taste of Cambridge will be held on Thursday, June 18 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Upper and Lower Courtyards of the Charles Hotel. Rain date is June 25th. To purchase tickets or find more information about the Taste of Cambridge, please visit www.tasteofcambridge.com and www.harvardsquare.com

For directions to the Taste of Cambridge at the Charles Hotel or more information about the hotel or Henrietta's Table, please visit www.charleshotel.com