Chef Raoul “Robby” Goco, owner of Green Pastures/Cyma/Souv!, discussed about the Four Core Areas of a Sustainable Restaurant which focused on: 1) use of local and sustainable ingredients, 2) minimizing food waste and single-use plastics, 3) conserving resources such as water, electricity, and petroleum, and 4) promoting the consumption of healthy and plant-based dishes. He highlighted a variety of recipes which use ingredients that can all be sourced locally. Utilizing all parts of the fish and meat to cook delicious meals is also a good practice to lessen the food waste. “Everything from nose to tail is cross-utilized. Nothing goes to waste. Whenever you throw something, that is money in the garbage can,” says Chef Goco as he continued to share his sustainable culinary techniques. Learning different methods of cooking can help conserve energy like open-fire grill and induction burners. He ended his session with a statement. “When you’re able to make vegetables taste great and delicious… that is a true mark of a Great Chef.”

Liezl R. Stuart del Rosario, Policy Specialist of The Sustainable Diner Project, shared a brief overview of the project and its overall objectives, including the importance of SCP and its impact to the environment. The visioning exercise guided the participants towards identifying their goals in terms of initiating or leveling up sustainability practices in the establishments they represent.

On the other hand, the participatory action planning workshop helped the participants to collectively develop the next steps on how to achieve their set goals. A core group was formed, which consists of elected officers. The participants identified the issues they encounter and have come up with potential solutions. Some of the mentioned problems were that having excessive leftovers when dining out can lead to more food waste. To avoid this, it should be a practice for consumers to take only what they can finish, especially for buffet restaurants. For restaurant owners, they have to come up with ideas that take into consideration the guests’ food preferences and restrictions. It was also discussed that one of the ways to sustainably dispose organic wastes is through composting. Some of the participants explained that due to limited space, not all can do backyard composting. To resolve this, there are other organic techniques which do not require wide spaces such as bokashi composting. It was also raised that due to poor soil quality, restaurant owners cannot grow their own crops, which results to insufficient supply of locally produced goods. Directly coordinating with farmers, exploring hydroponics, and finding alternative local suppliers are some of the possible solutions that were identified.