The two chose to open up a restaurant in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Rio and have converted an abandoned building into a high-class soup kitchen. The sporting event used it to feed the less fortunate, of course, thanks to two chefs that are making it happen.
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More insulting, is that between 30 percent and 40 percent of food produced around the world is never eaten because it is spoiled after harvest and during transportation, or tossed into dumpsters by shops and consumers. Along with Brazilian chef David Hertz, he hopes to make a social impact during his 16-day stint in Rio.
The idea was inspired by Refetterio Ambrosiano, an initiative Bottura led during the Milan World Expo in 2015, when 65 worldwide chefs cooked meals with food that would otherwise go to waste.
A similar program was launched in 2015 during the Milan World Expo.
Hertz told Reuters, “RefettoRio Gastromotiva is going to work only with ingredients that are about to be wasted. like ugly fruit and vegetables, or yogurt that is going to be wasted in two days if you don’t buy it”.
They drew inspiration from Refetterio Ambrosiano, an Italian initiative that was launched in Italy a year ago. In the case of Rio, a city fraught with social concerns, when the media does refocus its spotlight, its usually to highlight the problems and not about those trying to solve them.
“The project is important since it deals with sustainable food and fighting waste, which is a global scale issue”, Tania Braga, head of sustainability and legacy on the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, told Eater. Yet, nearly 800 million people around the world go to sleep hungry.
In Brazil, just under 5 percent of the population goes hungry, Reuters reported. But since the country has 208 million people, millions still don’t get enough to eat.
“We want to fight hunger and provide access to good food”, Hertz said to Reuters.
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The business will also provide vocational training for aspiring restaurant professionals, including cooks, bakers, and servers. We need strategic partners to make this happen.
