Chefs Collaborative

Today marks the 39th anniversary of Earth Day, which was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin in 1969.  During that time  there was growing concern about the threats of overpopulation and the effect on the environment.  Senator Nelson believed that  environmental issues should play an integral part of the national agenda.

In the past thirty-nine years Earth Day has been observed in a variety of ways:  tree plantings, beautification campaigns,  and the implementation of recycling and conservation programs across the country.  And, in the past few decades, there has been growing interest and understanding around the impact of our food purchasing decisions on our environment.

For the past five years, Chefs Collaborative has partnered with Organic Valley on their Earth Dinner initiative by recruiting member restaurants to host meals in their restaurants around Earth Day.  Earth Dinners are a celebration of our connection to our food, the earth, and one another and provide chefs with a great opportunity to share their passion for local, sustainable, and organic food with the dining public.

This year, we have 17 members hosting Earth Dinners around the country.  Check out the list of participating Chefs Collaborative member restaurants below, or click here to learn how you can host your own Earth Dinner.  Happy Earth Day, and happy eating!

Please call restaurants directly for reservations and information.

American Flatbread
Burlington, VT
802-861-2999

Basta Trattoria
New Haven, CT
203-772-1715

Border Grill
Santa Monica, CA
310-451-1655

Channel Cafe
Boston, MA
617-426-0695

Ciudad
Los Angeles, CA
213-486-5171

Claire’s Corner Copia
New Haven, CT
203-562-3888-

Delegates Dining Room at the United Nations
New York, NY
212-963-7626
*This is a lunch event

Diane’s Market Kitchen
Seattle, WA
206-624-6114

The Dogwood Restaurant
Baltimore, MD
410-889-0952

Elephants Delicatessen
Portland, OR
503-224-3955

Flea Street Cafe
Menlo Park, CA
650-854-1226

Illium Cafe
Troy, NY
518-272-3013

Main Market Co-op at the Glover Mansion
Spokane, WA
509-209-2395

Sola Restaurant
Chicago, IL
773-327-3868

Something’s Fishy Catering
Bethel, CT
203-722-2444

Taste at the Seattle Art Museum
Seattle, WA
206-903-5291

Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro
Foxboro, MA
508-203-9463

Tosca
Troy, NY
518-272-3013

This past weekend Cochon 555, a traveling competition between five chefs that celebrates and promotes heritage breeds of pigs, came to the Liberty Hotel in Boston.  Hundreds of people came out to sample the culinary preparations of chefs Jamie Bissonette, Toro; Joseph Margate, Clink; Matt Jennings, Farmstead; Tony Maws, Craigie on Main; and Jason Bond, Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro and taste a variety of heritage breeds.

I was excited to be one of twenty judges that deliberated over the presentation, utilization, and taste of the chefs preparations.  The judging took over three hours, and in the end we were won over by chef Matt Jennings’ preparation of a Red Wattle hog.

Chef Jennings’ menu included delicious charcuterie prepared from the jowl, cheek, tongue, and snout of the hog; a simple and flavorful tortilla filled with carnitas, Rhode Island queso fresco, pickled onion and cilantro; and the memorable boudin noir torte with chili & chocolate and pig brain whip (which is made by boiling down the brain with heavy cream, and oddly enough tastes like CoolWhip).

Cochon 555 is just one of many efforts going on across the country to raise awareness about heritage breeds of livestock by celebrating their unique flavors.  As part of the Renewing America’s Food Traditions alliance, Chefs Collaborative is working with Slow Food USA and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy to restore agricultural biodiversity and celebrate heirloom varieties of produce, heritage breeds of livestock, and traditional preparation methods.  More and more chefs and home cooks are interested in these breeds.  In fact, the latest issue of Bon Appetit features a whole section on heritage breeds of pigs with accompanying recipes.  For more information on how to work with whole animals and heritage breeds of livestock, download our Pork Report.

Events and programs like these will help to ensure many memorable and delicious meals to come!