Jules Mitry will share her top tips for reducing food waste at the Smart Surplus workshop. Photo: Balinese Spice Magic.
Food waste can be a gift, not a cost, for hospitality businesses.
That’s what Jules Mitry reckons, and she should know.
Jules has owned and run Wollongong foodie favourite Balinese Spice Magic for the past 12 years.
A big part of the restaurant’s ethos is that no good food goes to waste.
Instead it goes towards nourishing connections and building community.
“When we started the restaurant full-time there was always food at the end of the day that we can’t sell anymore but it’s still edible and in good condition,” she said.
“I hated to think that would go in the bin, so we started to pack that and give it away to the homeless around Wollongong until we were told we couldn’t hand out food like that, so we started packing it for the Homeless Hub instead.”
Jules said over the years her strategies for managing food waste had ebbed and flowed, but her commitment to keeping fresh produce out of landfill had never wavered.
“We have run a regular soup kitchen night where people paid by donation, and we would cook up what we had left over and the donations would go to a charity,” she said.
“We have also done meal drop-offs where we prep and pack food for people who can’t travel.
“We have corporate groups come in for team-building exercises or to donate food, and we will match that donation, so we earn a bit of money and we get to redirect food from the bin into someone’s belly.
“We don’t have any food waste whatsoever, other than what customers don’t finish of their meals, and we encourage them to pack those leftovers and take them home for later.
“Yes it’s a bit of extra effort from us, but we prefer that to seeing food end up in the landfill.”
The results speak for themselves.
Her restaurant has a loyal and dedicated following, a diversified income stream, and a secure place in Wollongong’s competitive food scene.
For Jules, food donation isn’t just a savvy business decision.
It’s a way of showing up in her community that is deeply rooted in her experiences growing up.
“When my family came to Australia we didn’t have much,” she said.
“My mum was good at making something out of nothing, but I grew up hungry a lot so I know not to waste anything.
“We have school groups come in for cooking classes, and whatever they can’t eat they pack themselves and take to the Lifeline Soup Kitchen – the happiness they get from doing something real to help somebody else is beautiful.
“Something you think is nothing might mean a lot to someone else.”
Jules will share more of her tips on how to turn excess produce into gold at a free practical forum at Green Connect Farm in February.
The Smart Surplus: Food Donation for Hospitality workshop is an initiative from Fair Food Illawarra, and other speakers include Mandy Booker, CEO of Wollongong Homeless Hub & Housing Services and Solange Frost, Regional Director of Operations at Vinnies.
It aims to help Illawarra hospitality operators learn how to reduce food waste, save on disposal costs and donate surplus food safely and legally.
Afternoon tea will be provided as well as an opportunity to take a stroll around Green Connect Farm.
The event will run on Monday 23 February from 2 to 4 pm. For tickets, follow this link.
