These Chefs Are Turning Scraps Into Stars In Their Zero-Waste Mission

Halfway through the 14 course tasting menu at Naar, I was itching to get up from the table and walk around and soak the views in. Sitting through tasting menus makes me wonder about the philosophy of food, often more than the food itself. This is when Chef Kamlesh Negi appeared with a handful of things - horsegram, timru peppers, hemp seeds, and a round stone bowl. “Ethical use of foraged ingredients is key to everything we do here”, he informed as he also explained the genesis of each of the items. Timru, from Nagaland’s hills adds a pungent and punchy flavour to the dish called ‘Sunderkala’—that tastes like a warm blanket, with hand rolled black wheat noodles in a delicious broth. It stays with your palate for a good while. With limited availability of such ingredients, it is only fair that the kitchen pays attention to the usage. Hemp seeds sourced locally from Uttarakhand makes for a delightful chutney, served in Neembu Saan, a local lemon zest pickle of sorts as a palate cleanser.

Globally, hunger and inequitable distribution of food threatens millions of lives and according to the World Food Programme by the United Nations, this year is expected to be one of unrelenting crises, affecting food security tremendously. Globally, 343 million people living in 74 countries already suffer from acute hunger. Food security for humans is threatened constantly with climate change and its drastic effects on food production, unethical farming and agro practices reducing soil fertility and availability of nutritious food. Food, is scarce, and India alone wasted an estimated 68.7 million tonnes of food according to the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Food Waste Index Report 2024. We now stand second, globally, in terms of household food waste. A colossal wastage indeed for a country of 1.4 billion people.

Noting this, Chef Jatin Mallick, Co-founder of Dos in Delhi says, “With global crisis, famine and people in desperate need of food in so many parts of the world including our own, it is very important to be sustainable, considerate and mindful about consumption and do whatever it takes to be a part of the societal greater good. Prices of raw materials are also skyrocketing so one cannot lose control of what is being made and what is being thrown.”

A choice to reuse

With more and more focus gathering on zero-waste cooking practices, chefs are becoming more mindful of ingredient use. From peels, scraps and rinds forming ingredients to be reused for restaurants both within star hotels and standalones, we are looking at a generation that not only consumes consciously, but makes the circular loop viable in their kitchens with intent.

Chef Sanket Joshi of Avatara, the only Indian vegetarian restaurant recognised by the Michelin Guide, is utterly serious about using everything in the kitchen. “Everyone wants to use the best product, and if there are trimmings or wastage, they put it to proper utilization so the dish comes out right.”

He shares the example of butternut usage. “We first peel the butternut, and slice it up. We cut discs which are pickled and used in the banana chaat dish Kadalika. Because it's pickled, it doesn't spoil. When we cut the discs out, the remaining portion becomes our butternut filling for the fafda taco. Since it's already peeled, we cook it until it's completely mashed, then make a mousse, and even after this, we still have trimmings remaining, which are used in the kokum gravy for the artichoke modak dish.”

All of this happens at the prep stage, well before the food is served on the table. Joshi believes that it has to be a standard operating procedure for the entire team to follow, “because it saves on costs, promotes sustainability, and reduces what we throw in the bin.”
Similarly, at Dos, vegetable scraps are systematically repurposed. Broccoli and asparagus peels become soup, herb trimmings are transformed into aromatic oils, celery leaves are turned into salt and cocktail garnishes, lemon rinds become dehydrated seasoning salt, and day-old bread is powdered to enhance their lavaash with complex flavours.

Even on island restaurants like Seb’s Farm at Raaya by Atmosphere in Maldives, conscious efforts find acceptance. “We limit the production to bare minimum to minimize the wastage of food that is not being consumed. All the kitchen related waste is segregated and weighed for future analysis of production”, says Chef Suriya Vikrant Sharma.

Thankfully, chefs in training now receive knowledge on methods to practise waste reduction. Chef Akash Deshpande of Luv, Mumbai, says the biggest challenge in making zero-waste cooking more mainstream is changing habits. “While it's not hard, it does take intention. While training in Canada, I learnt to use everything and treat scraps as creative opportunities”, he informs.

The circularity of food

The beauty of circular food use is seen as something that can transcend into cocktails. At Sixteen33 in Mumbai, Head Mixologist Denzil Franklin keeps sustainability in mind through the entire beverage menu. “The bubble cocktail uses a grapefruit cordial where the pulp is juiced for the cocktail, the zest is used to lend a bitterness and the peel is dehydrated to make grapefruit salt for the paloma”, he shares. Endless orange peels from the Negroni menu are divided between the kitchen and the bar team for reuse.

At Naar too, mixologist Yumit uses bruised fruits, crooked vegetables and the ‘imperfect’ produce into vinegars, brines, liqueurs - turning ‘ugly’ into ‘unforgettable’.

In Pune, Farro reduces waste by transforming everything, from vegetables to crockery. Vardaan Marwah, Chef Partner believes that while the cost savings from reuse may not be substantial, “there’s a deep emotional satisfaction in knowing we’re giving something a second life rather than just tossing it away.”

The effect of this movement is also seen in star hotels. At ITC Grand Goa, Chef Mohd. Meerajuddin believes that zero-waste isn’t just a kitchen policy but a mindset. Chef Meerajuddin explains, “We follow a root-to-shoot philosophy where every ingredient is respected in its entirety. From repurposing peels into spice blends and garnishes, to transforming stale bread into innovative desserts or thickeners, our team is trained to think sustainably at every step.”

While reducing organic waste to zero is an ambitious goal, it is commendable to see the efforts being made. At Hyatt Regency Jaipur Mansarovar, the philosophy finds root by utilizing every part of locally-sourced Mandawa lamb across their restaurants. Executive Chef Shibendu Ray Chaudhury explains how. “At Shrot, we transform trotters into soup, larger cuts into traditional dishes like Jodhpuri Raan, off-cuts into buffet items, and belly fat into natural shortening for kebabs. At The North Club, marbled cuts go into signature biryani, large chunks are used for curries, trimmings become burger patties, and the remaining carcass is simmered into stock for gravies and sauces, ensuring complete utilization of the animal with respect for local heritage and sustainable practices.”

Not just food

Waste is simply a missed opportunity, according to Chef Pankaj Singh Panwar, Executive Chef, The Westin Resort & Spa, Himalayas. “Food scraps from guest plates and buffet areas are processed in our on-site Organic Waste Converter, resulting in compost that nourishes our resort’s herb and vegetable gardens.” It is a beautiful full-circle approach from farm-to-fork and back again.

At the newly opened dusitD2 in Fagu, an organic vegetable farm is being set up with enthusiasm. Other than composting of organic waste for farm manure, the hotel responsibly collects and recycles cooking oil to biodiesel through certified partners. “Through menu engineering and data-driven portion control, we minimize overproduction and plate waste”, General Manager Ashish Gawari explained during a tour. Regular staff training and internal waste audits help such hotels align with sustainability goals and help refine internal systems continually.

Chef Rohit Dubey, Executive Chef at Pilibhit House, Haridwar - IHCL SeleQtions highlights that the biggest challenge for large hotels is in coordination—training every team member, from chefs to stewards, on how to treat scraps as ingredients and not waste. There is also the pressure of standardisation, which sometimes makes chefs move away from using non-uniform or imperfect parts.

The stone bowls at Naar, as Negi explained, were carved out of river bed rocks, instead of traditional ceramic bowls. “I picked each of them myself on a foraging trip”, he sounded proud and curious.

At Farro, rather than discarding chipped ceramic crockery, “we hand-paint the cracks with gold detailing and bring them back into service as a nod to Kintsugi, the Japanese philosophy of giving broken pieces a second life with beauty and purpose”, informs Marwaha.

“To young chefs, I always say treat every item in the kitchen—whether it’s a humble tissue, a vegetable, or a beautiful plate as if it were bought with your own hard-earned money. Respect your tools and surroundings, and they’ll always reward you with something meaningful in return”, he added.

In a hungry world, these chefs are proving that sustainability can be as creative by turning scraps into stars and reimagining every part of the ingredient. In their zero-waste kitchens, waste is transformed and celebrated, and served with purpose.