• Home
  • News
  • Leftovers and “ugly” carrots turned into innovative F.A.W.C. dinner

Leftovers and “ugly” carrots turned into innovative F.A.W.C. dinner

June 18, 2019

Unwanted food was very welcome at the F.A.W.C. event at EIT.

For this year’s F.A.W.C winter edition, EIT’s School of Tourism and Hospitality decided to partner with Nourished for Nil, a local non-profit organization. Nourished for Nil collects surplus food from companies, supermarkets as well as private households and redistributes it into the local community.

The two culinary events held at EIT’s Scholars Restaurant were called “No food left behind” and sold out quickly. EIT tutors showcased their creativity to turn unwanted food and leftovers into delicacies. The food was donated by Nourished for Nil, Hohepa, Norton Road Organics, Gourmeats, The Organic Farm Butchery and HB Eggs. Advintage and Esk Valley Estate contributed wine for the dinners.

Like Nourished for Nil, EIT is passionate about reducing its ecological footprint, enhancing sustainability and contributing to the local community.

“The theme has unleashed the imagination of our chefs. They came up with different cuts of meats and ideas of plating them in unusual ways, very much outside the square,” says Celia Kurta, programme coordinator for cookery classes at EIT.

Misshapen carrots or vegetable peelings went into stock and leftover pork fat was used in sausages. Chef tutor Amanda Libeau served her signature dish “Tongue & Cheek” in a pork skull and used stale bread and rarely used head meat for the dumplings.

Kylie used old frying oil to make colourful soap giveaways.

Kylie Howard made fresh cheese out of donated leftover milk. In addition, she created soap out of old frying oil as a giveaway for F.A.W.C. customers.

Mark Caves was given two bags of venison offcuts for his dish and served them as sausages, braised short ribs and slow cooked legs. He experimented also with leftover leek tops. He burned and ground them to roll the meat in, adding colour and flavour.

Earl Zapf created a lovely plate with octopus which is often just thrown away as bycatch. Korey Field used surplus apples and pumpkins for his dessert, and the amuse-bouche was a truffles custard made out of donated eggs and served in eggs shells.

EIT chef tutors created the finest dishes out of leftover milk, surplus vegetables and unwanted fruit.

This year, EIT will donate a large amount of F.A.W.C. proceedings to Nourish for Nil. In addition, over $7,000 will

go towards the Noel Crawford scholarship supporting a level 4 bakery or cookery student to progress into level 5.