Sustainability for all food: my commitment to nose to tail cooking

For most of my 30 year culinary career I have worked on and in kitchens that focussed on centre of the plate cooking. Over the last few generations we have put immense pressure on our food systems by eating this way, only valuing certain crops, the premium cuts of meats, a few kinds of fish, and on ‘perfect’ looking fruits and vegetables. That way of growing and cooking and eating is broken, and forces the industry and us to waste immense amounts delicious, valuable and nutritious food.

We must work hard to change this. We must work together to value the entire animal, the farmers entire harvest, the fishers entire catch. The future of sustainability depends on this.

Today I visited the ranch our beef has come from for the past 2 years. I left there with a new singular focus, starting at our next menu change we will no longer only order and cook primal cuts, we will only purchase entire animals and work nose to tail to responsibly honour the animal and the ranchers who raise their herds.

This is no easy task, it will take our teams full commitment, it will take education, and it will take our diners and guests commitment. We can only do this together.

Let’s not expect the same thing everywhere, all the time, every time. Unfortunately we are addicted to cheap, we are addicted to the ‘same’. There’s no such thing as cheap food, something, somewhere and someone pays the price.

Today I learned about feed (grass, corn and barley) I learned about how challenging it is to run a family farm, labour shortages, input costs rising, feed costs rising, thin profit margins. (Sounds familiar eh hospitality peers)?

Our team at Naramata Inn is excited, nervous, but up for the challenge. It’s been 2 years, but our first whole animal is coming into our kitchen and onto your dinner plate soon.

We hope you come on this journey with us.