Worried that your favorite dining haunts leave a big, fat carbon footprint? Take heart. Boston-area chefs are embracing green-movement technology on several fronts. It might be trendy, but it also happens to be moral. (Can the same be said for the tall-food movement?)
Several local spots follow guidelines promoted by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a national nonprofit group dedicated to supporting eco-friendly eating out. The GRA specifies everything from appropriate take-out packaging to energy-saving strategies.
“Working in restaurants for years and seeing the waste that occurs, it's almost sickening,” says Jim Solomon, chef and owner of the Fireplace, in Brookline. “The green thing has really exploded over the past year.” The Fireplace has replaced its takeout packaging with biodegradable options and upgraded its refrigerators to more energy-efficient models.
“It's just the right thing to do,” agrees Michael Leviton, executive chef at Lumière in West Newton. Lumière is GRA certified, and while Leviton's new location, Persephone, in South Boston, is not, he strives to maintain the same integrity at both locations. Sustainably sourced supply guidelines are good for your conscience and your palate, he insists.
“In order to present the best possible food on the plate, that requires the best possible ingredients,” he says. “That means knowing how it was raised, knowing where it came from, and getting it as fresh as possible, which leads you to [buy] locally, sustainably, humanely, and organically.”
Not every restaurant observing green practices bothers with the GRA certification process, but benefits are evident for those who do, says Leviton. Industry-wide, the organization advocates for change with national players, he explains. While it’s one thing for small, independent locations to go for green goals, big change really results as larger chains adopt the practices too.
Matt Reiser, Upstairs on the Square's wine director, who has spearheaded the Harvard Square hot spot's green initiatives, agrees. “We had no idea how much work it could possibly be,” he says. “I cannot imagine how someone could take a restaurant green without that guidance; [the GRA] really [is] the saving grace to getting this done.”
Howard Leibowitz, executive director of the Boston Public Market Association — which coordinates the city's farmer's markets — aims to ascertain the best way to supply restaurants with local food. The association met with top Boston chefs at Henrietta's Table this past February, and determined that while many restaurants wish to retain current supplier relationships, a desire exists for local specialty food and fish sourcing. Restaurateurs expressed concern, however, with transportation options, not wanting to drive to many local farms.
“My sense is that the next frontier is the ‘neighborhood’ restaurants and creating delivery options for them,” says Leibowitz. “The next step might be to find a group of restaurants in one neighborhood; South End and JP come to mind.”
Going green isn’t always immediately cost-efficient, especially in the nascent stages of these initiatives. Leviton says his recyclable menu and paper replacements cost more now, for example, as do new cleaning chemicals. But bigger savings are possible — switching from standard kitchen bulbs to compact fluorescent ones can save you $2000 a year, he says.
Financial benefits aside, going green also makes for good press. The North End’s Taranta was recently recognized as a Green Business by Boston mayor Thomas Menino, and maintains a blog (tarantagreen.com) where chef Jose Duarte notes eco-friendly restaurant news, such as the May start of the restaurant’s organic, sustainably farmed and biodynamic wine list.
Other eateries around town are taking note. Quick-breakfast mecca Bagel Rising meets GRA standards for greenness, as does Somerville jazz club Johnny D's, the Boloco burrito chain, and Cafe Fleuri at the Langham Hotel. At the humble Charlie’s Kitchen in Cambridge, the staff recycles rainwater from the roof as irrigation for patio plants. Biodegradable materials are now being used in takeout packaging, as well as in straws and condiment cups. And leftover food gets composted and grease recycled, says bartender and server Elizabeth Ezell. Manager Jaap Overgaag even picks up fry oil from Upstairs on the Square to power his car.
Clearly, going green is the latest industry trend — and quite a bit of work, too. So, do the customers even notice?
Not always, says Leviton — and sometimes that’s intentional.
Lumière's menu notes local, sustainable food sources where applicable, he says, and customers appreciate his efforts. “We want to excite them. These things cost more, but they're better tasting, and they're better for you.”
But, says Leviton, there’s also valor in subtlety. “It is, at the end of the day, just food. I don't want to see myself as ramming a particular ideology down people's throats. Sometimes they just want to come out and eat.”
Still, more and more, people do want to eat green, and actively seek out a place — such as Grezzo, the North End's new raw, vegan spot — to do just that. Grezzo Executive Chef Leah Dubois strives for an all-inclusive approach to food use: if one recipe calls for mushroom caps, for example, stems become a tea used in another recipe. Scraps from papaya steak become cheesecake.
