Did you know that grocery stores reject fresh produce purely for cosmetic reasons? Common reasons for produce being classified as “ugly” may be because they are too small, the wrong color, slightly bruised or a weird shape. Taste and nutrition aren’t compromised, yet these fruits and vegetables are discarded. This is where Hungry Harvest comes in.

They have taken rejected and “ugly” produce and deliver it to people’s homes while educating them about food waste. In 4 years, they have already reduced over 9 million pounds of food from going to landfills!

MIAbites has featured Hungry Harvest before and you can read more here.

Last month, Sustainable Supperclub partnered with Hungry Harvest at the now defunct Jackson Hall, Miami’s first wellness-focused food hall which sadly abruptly closed just last week. It was a beautiful gathering of community members who all shared a delicious chef-driven dishes and support sustainable cuisine.

Sustainable Supperclub is a pop-up dinner club, founded in 2017 by Co-Chairs Mayela Lanza and Jennifer Weinberg. Their mission is to raise awareness about how much food we waste that is turned into delicious meals. A portion of the evening’s proceeds were donated to local charities.

During cocktail hour, we were greeted with gazpacho shooters and spoonfuls of poke topped with pineapple, jalapeño, cilantro and sesame ponzu. The long tables were arranged with beautiful fresh produce as centerpieces and food was served family style.

A flavorful array of mezze started off our meal. There were pickled veggies, olives, carrot hummus, green tahini, hot pepper dip muhamarra, tzatziki, spicy harissa, Israeli salad, all served with crispy lavash bread.

Three salad options were given and they were all delicious! We had stone fruit salad, ricotta salata and arugula. The main courses were hearty and had options for everyone. There was branzino and rotisserie chicken along with plant-based offerings including roasted spaghetti squash with ancho chili and tri-color carrots with mint, coriander and served with chimichurri. This dinner menu was very plant-based friendly and showcased the many ways to prepare a myriad of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Dinner wouldn’t be complete without desserts! We had a variety of fruit pies, fresh baked cookies, pastries and homemade ice cream and whipped cream too! I can’t think of a better way to end a conscious evening with like-minded people who care about sustainability, giving back to the community and making a positive impact in the world.

Sustainable Supper Club hosts these pop up healthy dinners often and more information can be found on their website: http://sustainablesupper.org/

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