DAVENPORT, Iowa – Head Chef Matthew McDonald at Baked in the Village of East Davenport is careful how he cuts. That’s because every piece of food that ends up in the trash is money wasted for the restaurant.
McDonald tries to use every last bit when he runs his kitchen
“The ends of onions, celery, carrots, any kind of root vegetable that we don’t use we put into a stock,” explains McDonald.
Saving food goes beyond produce. What doesn’t work in one meal is repurposed for another.
“We’ll empty out our bread bowls…put them on a sheet pan, throw them in the oven, dry them out and then we’ll use them for panko breadcrumbs,” McDonald says.
He says eliminated waste is just as important as keeping the kitchen clean and the customers satisfied.
“Every time I throw something away, or something gets burnt, or the servers mess something up, those meals are the worst. They hit you hard,” emphasizes McDonald.
McDonald will be speaking at the Food Rescue Workshop on Thursday afternoon to talk about eliminating food waste at home. The event is at 2 p.m. at the Freight House Market in Davenport.
