Kanbe’s Markets is serving up an unconventional fundraiser that also sheds light on food waste.
The nonprofit’s Ugly Dinner series includes collaborations with chefs from six local establishments: Chewology, The Campground, Fox and Pearl, Hotel Kansas City, Heirloom Bakery & Hearth, and Affare. Although the chefs are given free reign to showcase their creativity, there is one caveat. For the four-course dinner, they must use Kanbe’s “ugly” produce, such as misshapen carrots, deformed potatoes and tiny strawberries.
“We can still make a lot of really delicious and interesting food with that produce. It doesn’t need to just be thrown into soup or used for stock,” Kanbe’s founder and Executive Director Max Kaniger said. “We have an opportunity here in Kansas City to really build an equitable food system, where we can have zero waste and everybody in the city can have access to healthy food. We’ve got to work together to make it happen.”
Every year, grocery stores reject produce with cosmetic imperfections, which can include being too big or small, because consumers often won't purchase less than perfect fruits and vegetables. As a result, food ends up in landfills.
Last year, Kanbe’s redirected more than 218,000 pounds of produce from landfills to its Healthy Corner Stores program, which stocks affordable fresh fruits and vegetables in more than 40 convenience stores in Kansas City’s food deserts. Kanbe’s mission is to reduce food insecurity and waste and create a more equitable food system with access to healthy options.
“I wanted to have this event because it’s really an embodiment of who we are as an organization,” Kaniger said.
The dinner series kicked off in April with a sold-out dinner at Chewology and continues through October. Next up is The Campground on June 8. Tickets average about $125 per plate and can be purchased through Kanbe’s website.
“The team at Chewology really went above and beyond and knocked it out of the park,” he said.
Chewology paired each course with a cocktail, including one featuring fermented strawberries. Some of the other “ugly” produce it used included potatoes, carrots, cabbage and other root vegetables. One course featured shredded potatoes and turnip greens with braised beef belly and another included “ugly dumplings” filled with pork, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage and ginger. Kaniger said the restaurant also used different parts of the animal that might get ignored, such as a pig’s tongue and feet.
Kaniger hopes the series creates a win-win both for the restaurants and the nonprofit. Not only will it raise awareness of Kanbe’s mission, the series could help restaurants reach new customers, he said.
