Atlanta chefs participate in a fundraising event to highlight food waste. Photo courtesy of DIG.

Food waste is a serious issue in the United States with more 20 pounds of food per person wasted each month. That means 30 to 40 percent of our food supply goes to waste.

To highlight the issue, seven Atlanta chefs are challenging themselves to create delicious, innovative dishes with little-to-no waste at an event called Cocktails & Castoffs, according to a news release.

The third annual fundraising event November 6 will support the efforts of Development in Gardening (DIG), an Atlanta-based nonprofit that helps nutritionally at-risk populations in Africa develop sustainable gardening practices and cooking techniques.

“When we throw food away because we over buy or over prepare, we also drive up global food prices, making it harder for people in developing nations to meet their nutritional needs,” the news release says. “A food system that is inefficient in terms of waste really needs to produce more to supply the demand. This increases puts pressure on natural resources and where natural resources become scarcer food correspondingly becomes more expensive.”

Participating chefs include:

• Linton Hopkins, chef and founder Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch, Café at Linton’s in 
the Botanical Gardens, H&F Burger, The Bread Box
• Angus Brown, executive chef of 8 Arm, Octopus Bar, Lusca
• Kevin Clark, executive chef of Home Grown;
• Tiffanie Barriere, master mixologist at One Flew South;
• Savannah Sasser, executive chef Twains;
• Kamal Grant, executive chef and founder Sublime Doughnuts
• Yoshifusa Kinjo, executive chef Nakato Japanese Restaurant

Besides enjoying the food, attendees can participate in a silent auction and raffle, and shop at a marketplace filled with handcrafted items from Africa. There will be a live auction asking for sponsorship of critical items needed for DIG’s 2017 projects.

“The average person in the US doesn’t think much about the food he or she is wasting,” said DIG cofounder and executive director Sarah Koch in the news release. “But I can say that the average person working with DIG in Africa does. If food is lost after harvest due to poor storage or lack of market access, there’s a deep loss felt within the family.”

“We in Atlanta can be doing more at home to combat this challenge,” Koch added. “There are four steps Atlantans can take right now that will make a difference. Try composting your food scraps, meal planning, buy the ugly fruit in the vegetable bin, and commit to eating what’s in your fridge before shopping for more.”

The event is from 5 – 7 p.m. on November 6 at Gallery L1 at 828 Ralph McGill Blvd. Tickets start at $75 (or 2 for $120) with a $1000 Sponsorship Level including a VIP reception with meet and greet with the chefs and pre-event cocktail toast.

For more information about the event or to become an event sponsor, contact Sarah Koch at 619-274-7218 or sarah@reaplifeDIG.org. To visit the website, click here.