There are two ways to think about food. There is food we prepare and there are meals that are prepared for us.
Where food is concerned, we might consider a couple of points of view in discussing the issues that face all of us. We all eat. Some think of it as something that we create three times a day, while others look upon it as something to find. Either way has consequences.
If we are creating – that is, cooking – there is gathering of ingredients, technique, equipment, a kitchen, then cleanup and storage.
If we are having someone else prepare what we eat, there is less involvement in the preparation but more on the gathering – the ordering and showing up where the food is prepared to either consume it there or bring it home. Both bring about disposables and waste. There are leftovers, excess ingredients and packaging to take care of.
In this food-centric state in which we live, there are people thinking about how to minimize food waste. Taking a cue from the popularity of cooking instruction available in our state, the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension service is teaching how to cut down on food waste with a Basic Knife Skills Class.
The class, which debuted in early April, is taught by chef Sam Burgess, a past participant in the URI Food Recovery for Rhode Island program and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University. On a Thursday night in the Fogarty Hall Food Lab on URI’s Kingston Campus in South Kingstown, students learned how to use a peeler to cut down on food waste and tested their new knife skills on cabbages, carrots and apples, preparing a delicious, toasted sesame chili crisp slaw with pumpkin seeds that was enjoyed by the class.
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SHARPENING SKILLS: Chef Sam Burgess, right, a past participant in the Food Recovery for Rhode Island program at the University of Rhode Island and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, teaches basic knife skills in a fun, delicious and hands-on class at URI.
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The food recovery program, which is separate from the one-off knife skills class, teaches students how to make the most of their grocery purchases, including preserving and storing them properly. Through hands-on experiences exploring the local food system on farms, community gardens and in kitchens, participants gain skills in canning, pickling, dehydrating, freezing and composting.
To date, 200 Rhode Islanders have enhanced their food literacy through the program. The course is held in the fall. Those interested in taking the course may apply through the URI Cooperative Extension service website at web.uri.edu/coopext/programs/food-systems/foodrecovery.
Taking an active role in how we get our food is not limited to acquiring skills in gathering food. There are many more who would rather not learn canning or composting. If you are more the type who says the best thing you make for dinner is reservations, there is a call to action as well.
To thank customers and friends, each April, Richard Sardella, Patrick Fitzgerald and the staffs at sister restaurants Sardella’s Ristorante Italiano and Imbriglio’s Pizzeria Napoletana in Newport bring back select original menu items from “back in the day” – 46 years ago when Sardella’s was a three-room tavern.
What brings in the crowds is the fact that the menu prices are from 1980 as well. There are salads for $2.75, meatballs for $1.50 and pasta for $8. Many have taken advantage of this deal over the years, however last year there were more reservations made online than by phone, resulting in many no-shows. Restaurant management added them up and found the number was more than the actual seats in the dining room, which equaled that number of patrons being turned away week after week.
For this year’s “Throwback Thursdays” during the five Thursdays in April, Sardella’s is implementing a policy of first-come, first-served and not accepting reservations for those nights only.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury,” syndicated weekly on radio, is heard in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Indiana. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
