Via Carota

• WHO: Rita Sodi & Jody Williams, chefs
• WHAT: Neighbourhood restaurant serving delicious Italian cuisine
• WHERE: 51 Grove Street, New York, New York, USA

“Via Carota’s menu comprises seventy-five per cent vegetable dishes, we are striving to become plastic-free and are reducing waste through good old-fashioned thriftiness.

“Whether it's a plate of grilled octopus or fried rabbit, our Italian food is like a collection of stories that arrive at your table, in a bowl or on a plate. Our aim is simple: to honour markets and farms from one season to the next, nurture our cooks and keep a balance in cooking between authenticity and spontaneity.”

To read more about Via Carota, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

The Mayan Cafe

• WHO: Bruce Ucán & Anne Shadle, owners
• WHAT: A casual, authentic Mayan restaurant that primarily uses farm-to-table sourcing
• WHERE: 813 East Market Street, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

“We see our restaurant as an ideal testing ground for emerging sustainable or local products. We are a small restaurant so meeting our demand is manageable for many small or new operations. As such, we have been early adopters of new products over the years (local coffee, biodegradable take-out containers, Kentucky silver carp, no more Coke products, interesting proteins, etc). Our most recent connection has been to a company called Mesienda that imports heirloom corn from Oaxaca, Mexico and has now begun making tortillas with them. We have been connected to these folks for several years and have followed their progress to where we can now also buy their tortillas.

“Previously, we had several cuts of beef on the menu, however several years ago we switched to just ground beef due to the amount of land and water cows use. We also switched the fish on one particular dish from a species flown in from Florida, to a fish procured in Kentucky (silver carp, which is super mild and not fishy at all – great for ceviche!).

“Our catering services have grown substantially in recent months. We are enjoying catering weddings, corporate events and private parties at local bourbon distilleries and farms in the area. We have learned that not only do folks in Louisville, Kentucky want our lima beans at the restaurant, they also want to enjoy them en-masse for their parties!”

To read more about The Mayan Café, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Mayan Cafe

Pure Pizza

• WHO: Juli Ghazi, owner
• WHAT: Farm-to-plate pizzeria
• WHERE: 1911 Central Avenue, Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, USA

“We are a near zero-waste facility with 100 per cent of our food scraps composted and collected each week by Crown Town Compost. It is then taken to a nearby facility, Earth Farms Organics, which then converts the food waste into soil used for farming and gardening.

“Food waste is one of the largest culprits in our landfills and we are proud to say that nothing from our restaurant occupies space within any landfill. All of our kitchen grease is picked up by Blue Ridge Biofuels and turned into biodiesel fuel and all packaging that leaves our restaurant is either recyclable or biodegradable. We do not have a trash container, only a recycling bin and if there is ever anything that cannot be recycled, we simply take it home to our own trash bins.

“We pride ourselves on becoming a beacon of sustainability in the Charlotte community. When you stop to by to visit you will experience a unique eating experience that features farm-to-fork pizzas, salads and sandwiches from local Carolina and Southeastern farms, with a commitment to showing you where your food comes from.”

To read more about Pure Pizza, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Pure Pizza

Ludivine

• WHO: Russ Johnson, chef/owner
• WHAT: Oklahoma City farm-to-table fine dining with an artsy, lively bar scene
• WHERE: 320 NW 10th Street, Suite A, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

“We are the single biggest customer of the Oklahoma City Farmer's Market, in addition to working very closely with many dozens of other local farmers, ranchers, processors, gardeners, foragers, brokers, brewers and purveyors.

“Our seafood is sourced from sustainability-focused purveyors such as Sea2Table, we forage for items like morels, dock, chickweed, lamb's quarter, redbuds, sumac, sand plums, wild grapes and blackberries. We also practice whole-animal butchery utilizing virtually every part of every animal product and produce that comes through our door. Additionally, we use 100 per cent wind-generated electricity, have extremely little food waste and offer highly-sustainable alternatives to red meat, such as locally-raised and processed rabbit, duck, quail and pheasant.”

To read more about Ludivine, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

Ludivine

MOPHO

• WHO: Michael Gulotta Chef/Partner
• WHAT: MOPHO strives to be a true neighbourhood restaurant mixing Southeast Asia and Southeast Louisiana
• WHERE: 514 City Park Avenue, Suite F New Orleans Louisiana, USA

“We love our local farmers and fisherman, showcasing their local products and reflecting the seasons wherever possible. All of our seafood comes from the Gulf of Mexico or from sustainable southern farms (such as our catfish.) A number of our herbs and other seasonal produce comes from small urban farms.

“Since opening we have tried hard to move away from a large meat section on our menu. The items we do feature are typically off-cuts, such as tendon and tripe. We always have four completely vegetarian options on the menu and the majority of our dishes are mostly vegetables with a smaller percentage of meat. You will always see a large amount of hearty greens on the menu because they are easy for our farmer friends to grow.”

To read more about MOPHO, visit their Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery profile here.

MOPHO