“Fiscally Green Cuisine” Panel in Beverly Hills

Last night, the Sustainable Business Council of Los Angeles (SBCLA) hosted “Fiscally Green Cuisine” at the Valcucine kitchen showroom in Beverly Hills. The event began with a sustainable food court, including mahi mahi ceviche from Susan Feniger and braised pork with nettle polenta from Neal Fraser. DineLA Director Carrie Kommers then led a panel discussion with six of L.A.’s most eco-conscious chefs and restaurateurs: Susan Feniger (Border Grill, Ciudad, Street), Neal Fraser (Grace, BLD), Ann Gentry (Real Food Daily), Juliano (Planet Raw), Janabai Owens-Amsden (Euphoria Loves Rawvolution) and Chris Rodriguez (Cinnamon Vegetarian Restaurant). The big challenge for the panelists seemed to be finding ways to remain eco-conscious, sustainable AND economically viable.

Kommers began by asking how each restaurant implements “fiscally green cuisine.” Fraser said they stopped serving bottled water four years ago at Grace, sacrificing a huge revenue stream. There are a number of measures he’d like to implement, but it would hurt his business financially. However, he pointed out, “If somebody wants to sponsor me to run a restaurant that loses $1 million per day, I can be as green as possible.”

Ann Gentry said that at each location of Real Food Daily, she’s become “acutely aware of how we can do better,” featuring the best possible water, paper and lightbulbs. Still, since 25% of their business is to-go, packaging is a huge issue. A repeated complaint was packaging. Juliano claimed “Packaging and labeling accounts for 45% of all production on the planet,” which is why he avoids it at Planet Raw. Still, to do what he can, he applied clay paint to the walls, burns beeswax candles, and cleans with a mix of “cheap vodka and water.”

Susan Feniger was the panel’s elder statesman, since she’s owned restaurants in L.A. for 29 years. At Street, her table and bar tops are made from Richlite, a type of recycled paper. Street also features LED lighting, low flow toilets and composting. The Border Grill Truck runs its generators on filtered oil. A number of dishes on the menu at Border Grill and Ciudad are designated as “Good for the Planet, Good for You,” with 80% plant based ingredients. Prior to the panel, Feniger said “Philosophically, [fiscally green cuisine] comes very naturally to us.” 25 years ago, when she and business partner Mary Sue Milliken owned City, they shopped at farmers markets and worked with the Vets Garden in Brentwood, sourcing mizuna, kale, mustard greens and chilies. They currently utilize organic coffee, rice, beans and wines.

Feniger also discussed a life-changing trip she and Milliken took to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where 10 years ago, they committed to serving only sustainable seafood. That meant no more salmon, unless it was wild, and no more tuna, because of mercury concerns.

“With every bite, you’re making a choice about how you see the world,” said Janabai Owens-Amsden, “and you’re voting three times a day.” She said that at Euphoria Loves Rawvolution, they apply a lot of the same principles as Feniger minus the oil. She joked, “We’ll have to start cooking stuff so we can fuel our vehicles.”

Another gripe was leftovers. The raw foodists have very few leftovers. At Border Grill, Ciudad and Street, Feniger maintains tight margins and never over preps. An especially tricky time is when she and Milliken donate food to non-profit events, and 100 people show up when they’re expecting 600. However, an audience member pointed out that the food bank offers a program called “Second Helpings,” and will pick up the leftovers.

In terms of sourcing food locally, Juliano shops at the Santa Monica farmers market. Everything on the menu at Planet Raw is organic but the baby coconuts.  Fraser developed a “Close to Home” menu at Grace, where every ingredient comes from within 400 miles of the restaurant.

Even though these restaurateurs represent the vanguard when it comes to eco-consciousness, they’re not satisfied. When Fraser moves Grace downtown, to the St. Vibiana rectory, he plans to add an ionized water system. “ “I can clean my whole restaurant with water. Just balance the Ph.” He also plans to add beehives downtown, since cities offer so much biodiversity.

Earlier in the night, Fraser summed up his feelings on becoming fiscally green, saying, “If you can afford it, why not do it? And if you can’t afford it, how do we make it affordable?” [Feast LA]