ZERO WASTE KITCHEN

Chef Kurt, Concept Catering by CK proudly announces a
ZERO WASTE KITCHEN
All products used in kitchen are now recycled or composted!
San Diego, CA. Concept Catering by CK is proud to announce their kitchen as the first
ZERO WASTE catering operation in San Diego. In partnering with San Diego’s Resource Center, a nonprofit
environmental education organization focused solely on sustainability, all of the waste from
products used in Chef Kurt’s kitchen is either recycled or composted. Kurt not only implements
this cycle within his kitchen, but on site at the various events he caters. According to Jason Cadwallader,
Kurt Metzger is the first chef in San Diego to implement a
zero waste kitchen operation through his center.
Metzger began working with the Resource Center in July 2007 and accomplished his zero waste
initiative in April 2008. He initially saw composting as a challenge within the kitchen, as his staff was
not accustomed to sorting and separating all garbage within their work space. In order to aid with his
staff’s hands-on education, Chef Kurt removed garbage cans from the kitchen for a couple of days.
“It’s certainly not as easy as people think it is to separate garbage in kitchen,” says Metzger.
“However, after only a few days, my staff caught on and each item is meticulously separated and
rinsed when necessary to cooperate with the Resource Center’s guidelines.”
The kitchen uses several containers to ship to the Resource Center, with each container holding a
different category such as: aluminum and tin cans, glass bottles, food, cardboard, paper, and plastic
wrap along with all other plastic food containers. Normally much of the plastic is difficult to recycle,
however, the Resource Center works with playground manufacturers that will take the items for reuse.
And, even the grease used in Chef Kurt’s kitchen is reused, as a bio-diesel truck takes the grease for
fuel. (note: this is not through the Resource Center.)
Additionally, many of Chef Kurt’s employees bring in their personal items from their homes to add to the
collections taken by the Resource Center. The Resource Center has eight trucks that collect materials
every week day, four on Saturdays, and two on Sundays.
“Chef Kurt is really in the minority and can be complemented on the fact that his perspective is excellent in
all locations, beyond just what the customer sees” says Cadwallader. “He is responsible in every aspect- in his
kitchen, garbage, food use and presentation. Chef Kurt has the philosophy that everything in his
organization must be the best it can.”
Metzger and Cadwallader share the belief that individuals can only make significant changes if we see and
experience pleasure and enhancement of each thing we are doing responsibly. “For example in Chef Kurt’s
case of being a chef and working with food, he focuses not on the taste and presentation alone, but on
his sustainability measures,” says Cadwallader.
In addition to recycling and composting everything within his kitchen, Chef Kurt uses only local and
organic produce when possible, buys his dairy products from farms in San Diego, and purchases meat
from farms in the Mid-west that are free of growth hormones. He also practices water conservation,
offers re-usable living botanical centerpieces, provides invitations printed on recycled paper, uses
biodegradable service ware and eco-friendly cleaning supplies and donates un-served foods to local
food banks. “That knowledge of the entire process should give us the most positive experience in the
way we choose to eat,” says Cadwallader. “Chef Kurt is a perfect example of how we can reduce our impact on
climate change and species loss based on pleasure and not on guilt.”
“My job isn’t to make food taste good,” says Chef Kurt. “That’s a gift I have and I’m blessed to have a gift, so that’s going to happen. What’s important is being part of a system that was meant to be and to
respect that natural system. I ask myself, ‘is it respectful not to compost or recycle, or to use vegetables
enhanced with chemicals, meat with hormones, or food flown in from thousands of miles away?’ No it
is not. I have a lot of passion for what I do, but when I keep it simple and take the emotion out of it, and always answer the question of respect, it comes naturally. I feel I’m doing the right thing.”
About Chef Kurt & Concept Catering by CK
Kurt Metzger, has been catering fresh, gourmet cuisine
for the past 22 years. In addition to healthy, sustainable cuisine, Concept Catering by CK is committed to on and off-site composting and recycling. The newly launched “Greening of Events” service
program will practice water conservation, offer re-usable living botanical centerpieces and donate unserved
foods to local food banks.
Additionally, Concept Catering by CK offers natural, healthy, organic sustainable menus,
invitations printed on recycled paper, biodegradable service ware, eco-friendly cleaning supplies and
numerous other details that help transform San Diego’s corporate meetings and parties, weddings and
special events into green events.