What is Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery?
Of all the qualities that distinguish a truly outstanding restaurant or food experience, perhaps truth, love and care are the most important. A passion for creating food that is so good that it will never be forgotten, an environment that makes that extraordinary food taste even better, and a care for the ground or water from which that food is derived and the community in which it is served.
Restaurants that care about these things aren’t just good, they are exemplary. Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery was conceived to identify and shine a light on these inspiring exemplars so that the rest of us can find, support and enjoy them.
Read our Mission Statement.
What is ethical eating?
Ethical eating means making educated decisions about your food choices and how they impact the environment, the lives of animals and your community. There are many ways to make more ethical eating choices, from choosing free range meat and eggs, to buying local, organic products.
What is sustainable dining?
Sustainable dining means consciously choosing to dine at businesses which prioritise reducing their impact on the environment and championing sustainability. This can encompass waste reduction systems, on-site gardens, locally-sourced and/or organic produce, recycling programs and more.
How can restaurants be more sustainable?
There are many ways restaurants can become more sustainable. Reducing food waste is a major example, which can be achieved by using the whole animal and composting any fruit and vegetable scraps. Other examples include: eliminating plastic (straws, takeaway containers, bottles), recycling all relevant materials, growing herbs, fruit and vegetables on-site, buying seasonal, local, free range and organic produce, collecting rainwater to use on gardens, printing menus on recycled paper, using eco-friendly cleaning products and detergents, purchasing energy-efficient lightbulbs, and much more.
Can I make a reservation directly from the TL&CC website?
Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery isn’t a reservations service, but the TL&CC website includes hyperlinked details of how you can make reservations including phone, email, website and reservations service providers (such as OpenTable and Dimmi).
Can I update a restaurant profile?
If you are restaurant or food experience listed on the website and would like to update or change your profile details or photographs email us at hello@truthlovecc.com and we can amend any details on the website within 10 working days.
What does a Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery membership subscription include?
If you are a restaurant or food experience selected for inclusion in the guidebooks (and only those selected) you are eligible to join the Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery Collective via a paid subscription. The Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery Collective is a collective of some of the most celebrated and inspiring restaurants around the world such as Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse in San Francisco, Ben Shewry's Attica in Melbourne, Dan Barber's Blue Hill in New York and Skye Gyngell's Spring in London.
Members are promoted via a substantial international marketing platform (website, social media, PR) and have access to a members-only forum where they can network and support each other. The goal is to create a special community of like-minded restaurateurs; a network of kindred spirits at all stages of the ethical food journey who can help each other with tips, advice, shared resources and waste conservation initiatives.
Only members feature on the website.
Every member features individually on the international social media platform over the course of twelve months.
Members can add additional photographs plus a further 200 words to their profile on the website (in addition to the guidebook content).
Members receive preview access to the Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery blog via a weekly newsletter which will aggregate rich and inspiring editorial content about food and sustainability initiatives from around the globe, and feature in-depth interviews with members, editors and inspiring like-mind folk from around the world.
Membership is entirely optional and has no bearing on the selection process for the books.
What is the difference between Premium and Standard membership?
Standard Members feature on a full-page profile with a photograph or photographs in their relevant country guidebook.
Premium Members feature over two pages in both their relevant country guidebook and the World edition.
How do I change my membership? Can I upgrade from Standard to Premium? If you are a restaurant or food experience and would like to change your membership subscription, just email us at hello@truthlovecc.com.
Can I sign up later?
If you are a restaurant or food experience selected for inclusion in the guidebooks (and only those selected) and would like to become a member, you can sign up any time and you will be added to the website and digital platform. For details, email us at hello@truthlovecc.com.
How much is a restaurant membership subscription?
Australia: Standard Membership Pay monthly: The cost is A$35 per week, charged as an equal monthly fee of A$151.67. Pay 12 months in advance and receive eight weeks free, a saving of A$280. The cost is A$1,540 for a 12-month subscription.
Australia: Premium Membership Pay monthly: The cost is A$50 per week, charged as an equal monthly fee of A$216.67. Pay 12 months in advance and receive eight weeks free, a saving of A$400. The cost is A$2,200 for a 12-month subscription.
UK: Standard Membership Pay monthly: The cost is £25per week, charged as an equal monthly fee of £108.33. Pay 12 months in advance and receive eight weeks free, a saving of £200. The cost is £1,100 for a 12-month subscription.
UK: Premium Membership Pay monthly: The cost is £35per week, charged as an equal monthly fee of £151.67. Pay 12 months in advance and receive eight weeks free, a saving of £280. The cost is £1,540 for a 12-month subscription.
USA: Standard Membership Pay monthly: The cost is US$30 per week, charged as an equal monthly fee of US$130. Pay 12 months in advance and receive eight weeks free, a saving of US$240. The cost is US$1,320 for a 12-month subscription.
USA: Premium Membership Pay monthly: The cost is US$45 per week, charged as an equal monthly fee of US$195. Pay 12 months in advance and receive eight weeks free, a saving of US$360. The cost is US$1,980 for a 12-month subscription.
Rest of World: Standard Membership Pay monthly: The cost is US$30 per week, charged as an equal monthly fee of US$130. Pay 12 months in advance and receive eight weeks free, a saving of US$240. The cost is US$1,320 for a 12-month subscription.
Rest of World: Premium Membership Pay monthly: The cost is US$45 per week, charged as an equal monthly fee of US$195. Pay 12 months in advance and receive eight weeks free, a saving of US$360. The cost is US$1,980 for a 12-month subscription.
NZ-domiciled customers are subject to 15% GST.
How will members be charged?
If you are a restaurant or food experience and have subscribed to a membership you can choose to pay monthly or annually. We accept payment by credit card via online payment collector Stripe https://stripe.com/about.
When will members be charged?
If you are a restaurant or food experience and have subscribed to a membership you can choose to pay a weekly subscription which is charged as an equal monthly fee, or pay twelve months in advance and receive eight weeks free. Monthly subscription fees will be collected on the 28th of each month and is for the following month. Annual subscription fees will be collected on the 28th of the month and is for the annual period beginning the following month.
Who will members be billed by? How will my charge appear on my credit card?
If you are a restaurant or food experience and have subscribed to a membership you will be billed by Blackwell and Ruth Limited, and the charge will appear on your credit card statement as ‘Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery subscription’.
How do members update payment details?
If you are a restaurant or food experience and have subscribed to a membership and want to update your payment details, just email us at hello@truthlovecc.com and we can sort that for you.
Can members cancel membership?
If you are a restaurant or food experience and have subscribed to a membership your subscription is monthly, and will be renewed automatically unless you specifically notify us that you’d like to cancel your subscription. You can do this at any time by emailing us at hello@truthlovecc.com. Cancellation will be effective from the month following our receipt of your written cancellation.
The guidebooks
Editions for USA, UK and Australia together with a World edition, will be released in November 2018. Each edition will be designed and produced to an award-winning standard, and distributed by leading publishers’ Abrams Books and Thames & Hudson to bookshops, and design and gift stores around the world.
A group of the world's finest and most respected food writers has been commissioned to edit each edition. Selection for inclusion in each book is based entirely on merit. The authority and credibility of the restaurants included in each guide comes from the calibre of the food writers involved, and research based on the survey restaurants complete which was developed in collaboration with the UK's Sustainable Restaurant Association.
How often are new guidebooks published?
Guidebooks will be updated and published annually.
How do I get into the guidebooks?
If you are restaurant interested in being considered for Truth Love & Clean Cutlery, please email us at hello@truthlovecc.com.
Who are the editors?
See the complete list of contributing editors here.
Who are the benefiting charities?
A percentage of the publisher’s revenue from sales of the Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery guidebooks will benefit the following organizations:
Australian edition – the National Indigenous Culinary Institute (NICI) which creates and supports training programmes for aspiring Indigenous chefs. nici.org.au
UK edition – the Sustainable Restaurant Association which aids food-service businesses to work towards sustainability and guides customers towards more sustainable choices. thesra.org
USA edition – the Edible Schoolyard Project to support their mission to build and share a national edible education curriculum for pre-kindergarten through high school. edibleschoolyard.org
World edition – a donation will be made to Action Against Hunger to support their efforts to provide food, clean water and nutrition programmes to combat hunger and malnutrition for children and their families in 50 countries around the world. actionagainsthunger.org
Who are Blackwell and Ruth?
Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery was created by Geoff Blackwell and Ruth Hobday, principals of Blackwell & Ruth, a multi-award-winning creator and publisher of internationally best-selling books. Their work is inspired by humanitarian individuals, and social issues such as equality, conservation of the environment and food security. Blackwell & Ruth’s books have sold 30 million copies in 40 countries. It has contributed over $4 million to non-profit organisations dedicated to social issues. Its authors include Nobel laureates Desmond Tutu and the late Nelson Mandela with whom it created four books including The New York Times bestseller Conversations with Myself (which featured a foreword by Barack Obama), and the recently published The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela, and many of the world’s leading photographers including Tim Flach, Platon, Kieran E. Scott, Albert Watson, Andrew Zuckerman, Elliott Erwitt and many others.
Special projects include: M.I.L.K.: Moments of Intimacy, Laughter and Kinship — a collection of images founded on humanity that has been exhibited at venues around the world; 200 Women: Who will change the way you see the world – a book and exhibition project; and the Great Cookbook series which has raised over $1 million for food security organizations.