Dan Barber Is Putting Food Waste on the Menu in London

Dan Barber is taking his fight to reduce food waste across the pond. Barber’s WastED pop-up will take up in residence in London February 28 through April 2, occupying the rooftop space at the iconic Selfridges department store. Reservations will be available this Sunday.

Barber is the chef and co-owner of New York’s Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, which happens to be America’s best restaurant at the moment. He first launched the WastED pop-up in March 2015 out of his New York City restaurant, where he and big-name guest chefs served dishes composed entirely of ingredients that normally would be destined for the garbage — kale ribs, fish heads, bruised produce, and the like. The experiment proved to be a success, and the meals received positive reviews.

Now, Barber will team up with chefs “throughout UK and Europe” to serve daily specials and riffs on traditional British cuisine. Ingredients will be sourced from local producers and “purveyors across the food industry,” according to the official website. Iain Griffiths of London cocktail bars White Lyan and Dandelyan will concoct beverages for the pop-up, and Henrietta Lovell of Rare Tea Company will partner with “a handful of London’s pastry luminaries to offer their own not-so-customary spins on afternoon tea.”

The previous WastED pop-up claims to have served 600 pounds of “ugly vegetables,” 150 pounds of kale ribs, 30 gallons of beef tallow, 475 pounds of skate cartilage, 350 pounds of vegetable pulp, and 900 pounds of waste-fed pigs.

• Pack Your Bags — WastED Is Crossing the Pond [Official]
• WastED London [Official]
• Here's the Food Waste-Focused Menu for Dan Barber's WastED Pop-Up [ENY]