New Orleans, LA –
Hi, this is Richard McCarthy with the WWNO Farmers Market Minute If you patronize our region's farmers markets, you'll often notice the presence of restaurant chefs in their check pants and white tunics. Increasingly, they're designing menus around what's in season. We're also noticing how they're redesigning their kitchens. The Ritz-Carlton's heroic chef Matt Murphy has redesigned his kitchen's waste regime to work with his farmers. Not only does he bring sacks of empty strawberry cartons to Johndale Farms, but his chefs separate out food scraps for Northshore farmer Nick Usner - one of the up and coming young agricultural innovators. Each week, Nick picks up buckets of scrap for compost on his vegetable farm. Apparently, corporate headquarters is now seeking guidance from Matt Murphy as to how they can set up similar systems in their other properties. So, next time you're at market, strike up a conversation with a chef. They're changing the world one kitchen at a time. For the Farmers Market Minute, this is Richard McCarthy.