Cabbage Butts. Teaism.
Photo by Amanda Joy Photographics
We're a movement...
RescueDish is a movement to spotlight the work chefs and brands do to make delicious foods and reduce waste along the way. By celebrating dishes that demonstrate root-to-leaf and nose-to-tail creativity, we hope to inspire all eaters and chefs--professional or not--to see opportunity where they used to see waste.
We do this by sharing the stories of restaurants with ingenious waste-cutting dishes, like saving extra latte milk to make ricotta, turning juicing pulp into chips, and using pickle juice as salad dressing. Our events have ranged from walking tours and happy hours to designated RescueDish weeks, during which select restaurants across D.C. feature at least one RescueDish on their menu. You can also join the fun right now by checking out interviews with local chefs on our blog.
Broccoli Tots and Stir-Fried Cabbage Butts at Teaism.
Butternut Squash Soup with Toasted Seeds at Beefsteak.
...to inspire creative solutions...
RescueDish is based in Washington, DC, and grew out of the DC Food Recovery Working Group, a consortium of people in the public, private and nonprofit sectors who all care deeply about reducing food waste and putting a lid on the 40 percent of U.S. food that winds up in the dumpster every year. RescueDish kicked off in 2017 as a part of DC Food Recovery Week. During the week, about a dozen restaurants, including Teaism, Lupo Verde and Little Red Fox, promoted dishes on their menus with food-waste reduction stories.
...to wasted food.
Watch this space and keep an eye on our blog for the latest in creative, low-waste cooking in the District! And if you’ve spotted a RescueDish out in the wild, we’d love to hear about it! Email us at RescueDish@gmail.com or ping us @RescueDish on Twitter and Instagram.
Is your restaurant doing creative things to reduce food waste? We'd love to hear about it!
Pickled watermelon rind garnishes the Summer Sandia at Firefly.
FAQ
What is RescueDish?
RescueDish is an initiative to bridge foodie-ism with the fight against food waste. Through content and events we tell the stories of chefs, restaurants and other food businesses that are creating new taste experiences with underutilized ingredients.
Tell me more.
We post content about sustainable food in DC restaurants on the RescueDish blog as well as on EatOrToss, which is affiliated with RescueDish. Twice we have done week-long, city-wide events in which more than a dozen restaurants featured “RescueDishes” on their menus. We’ve also held happy hours, organized neighborhood restaurant walking tours and once organized a four-course meal where every dish had a RescueDish story. Visit our Events page to learn more.
That’s so cool! But I want to try a RescueDish right now. Where can I find one?
Covid-19 has caused a lot of changes on restaurant menus so we can’t make any guarantees about what might be on a restaurant’s menu at any given time. But any restaurant that’s participated in a past RescueDish event likely has some great, waste-reducing treats on their menus. Plus, these are restaurants that are committed to reducing their “foodprint” and your business is the best reward.
Who are you?
RescueDish grew out of the DC Food Recovery Working Group, a consortium of people from government, business, nonprofit and other backgrounds who all care about reducing food waste and ending hunger. Working Group board member and Founding Editor of EatOrToss Rachael Jackson runs the content side of things, while Caroline Howe with the DC Department of Small & Local Business Development is exploring new ways to support businesses as we emerge from the pandemic. Check out the Working Group’s website for more ways to reduce food waste and feed those in need in DC.
I think my restaurant would be a great fit for RescueDish. How can I get in touch?
Email us at RescueDish@gmail.com or contact us through this site. Also, we’d love it if you tagged RescueDish (@RescueDish) in any of your social media posts about how you use food efficiently and lovingly at your restaurant.
What's next on the RescueDish calendar?
We took a breather during the pandemic and are just getting warmed up again. Watch this space for more and always feel free to reach out to RescueDish@gmail.com with all your RescueDishiest meals, drinks and ideas.