Last Tuesday, the Boys & Girls Club of the Pikes Peak Region joined our culinary team at Colorado College for a Waste Warrior themed Healthy Kids class. Bon Appétit Waste Specialist Maggie Kraft led the group in a discussion about why food goes to waste and the kids offered reasons for why they’ve thrown food away in their homes, naming “brown bananas” “sour milk” and “mushy fruit.” Then Maggie challenged the group to think of ways we can reduce the amount of food waste we create at home, like using brown bananas to make banana bread and overripe, mushy fruit for smoothies.
The group also named parts of the plant that we don’t typically eat and discussed whether those items are indeed edible. Executive Chef Ed Clark asked the kids, “Can you eat carrot tops, or peels?” The group seemed skeptical, so Chef Ed presented a very special snack of fried carrot peels and, although the kids were wary to try them at first, everyone was begging for seconds after the first taste and requesting the recipe to bring home.
Next, the kids gathered around their work stations to prepare “Waste Warrior Pizzas” and “Waste Warrior Smoothies” alongside Chef Ed and Sous Chef Jackie Lovecchio. The group prepared a tasty pesto sauce using the entire basil plant (stems and leaves) and a marinara sauce using scarred and damaged tomatoes. Toppings included plant parts that often go uneaten, like broccoli and mushroom stems.
While the pizzas baked the team of newly minted chefs prepared smoothies featuring brown spotted bananas, bruised pairs, and whole strawberries (the green tops too!) and, due to their newfound knowledge and concern about food waste, the kids weren’t at all phased by the less than beautiful fruit.
Everyone was eager for a taste and one boy exclaimed “I should have saved the banana from my lunch yesterday so I could make this at home!”
We finished with a picnic and sent our Waste Warrior Chefs home with a sheet of tips and tricks for reducing food waste at home. We hope these newly waste conscious stewards will put their lessons to use, and teach their friends and families about the delicious possibilities to be found in a carrot peel, brown banana, or broccoli stem.
Special thanks to the Boys & Girls Club of the Pikes Peak Region for joining our Colorado College culinary team!