OzHarvest will launch a pop up café project at Pyrmont on May 12, transforming food destined for landfill into gourmet restaurant quality meals.
The project came about thanks to City West Housing, an affiliated partner organisation who donated the empty restaurant space to OzHarvest, under a three month lease.
OzHarvest Chef for a Cause, Travis Harvey, who leads Cooking for a Cause, the organisations’ corporate engagement and volunteer program, which prepares thousands of meals for those in need each year, will be heading up the rescued food kitchen and was the mastermind behind the concept.
“The idea behind harvested is simple. It takes a challenge that OzHarvest and our food recipients have to face every day, what to do with surplus food that society has rejected because of its appearance, discolouration or slight imperfections? We wanted the public to experience this too, and see how good it can be,” said Harvey.
“We want people to discover by dining at harvested, that there’s nothing wrong with this produce and that high quality, nutritious and wholesome meals can be made from ingredients that would normally be discarded simply by the application of a little imagination and effort.”
Ronni Kahn, founder and CEO of OzHarvest said the business wants to inspire people to get back to basics and challenge them to waste less.
“In a society where abundance is now seen as normal, we need to challenge perceptions and behaviour. We need people to think of the consequences of our wasteful habits and how it impacts on the environment and our planet. Each year we waste up to $10 billion worth of good food in Australia,” said Kahn.
In the lead up to its national campaign partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme, Think.Eat.Save, on Monday, July 27, OzHarvest is encouraging curious members of the public to come and taste rescued meals, harvested from landfill destined produce for a small donation of $15.
On its opening day, May 12, meals will be free to the public in exchange for a pic posted on social media using the hashtag #mealforameal, a campaign where Virgin Mobile donates 50 cents to OzHarvest for every hashtag, allowing one meal to be delivered to someone in need.
The menu will change week to week based on the ingredients rescued. A set price per head of $15 per customer will help OzHarvest feed 30 hungry Australians. OzHarvest volunteers will also donate their time to help with the project.
OzHarvest collects around 340,000kg of surplus food each month from all types of food businesses including supermarkets, cafés, restaurants, catering companies, events, and farms.
It has delivered more than 33 million meals, saved more than 11,000t of food from landfill across its 10 years of operations, providing food relief to Australians in need.
It services more than 680 welfare organisations in Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and in regional areas via its REAP food rescue program, including homeless shelters, women’s and men’s refuges, youth shelters, and organisations that service families in vulnerable communities.
Location: harvested, 56 Harris St, Pyrmont NSW
Opening times: Every Tuesday and Wednesday lunch only from 11.30am – 2.30pm (until end July)
