Publish your recipe in the Why Waste? Cookbook

On the occasion of the International Sustainable Gastronomy Day (18 June), S.Pellegrino and Food for Soul confirm their commitment to reducing food waste and invite you to bring your best to the table by creating a recipe that makes the most of your food waste or leftovers.

Share your recipe on Instagram with the hashtag #WhyWasteRecipes #EveryPlateCounts, and it could be selected to appear in the Why Waste? recipe book published on Fine Dining Lovers.

Check out the recipes we've already received

Over the past two years the Why Waste? project has involved chefs from Massimo Bottura's team: Jessica Rosval (Casa Maria Luigia), Karime Lopez (Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura), Takahiko Kondo (Osteria Francescana, now Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura) and Francesco Vincenzi (Franceschetta58), and other big names in gastronomy such as Dominique Crenn, (Atelier Crenn and Petit Crenn in San Francisco), Sat Bains, one of the UK's leading chefs, and César Troisgros, the fourth generation chef of the legendary Troisgros family.

For this third edition, the stars will be all those who love to cook, have great respect for food and do their best not to waste it. If you too dabble in anti-waste recipes, this is the opportunity you have been looking for.

How to take part

Create a recipe using one or more ingredients that are usually considered waste (e.g. fruit or vegetable peelings) or that are often left over in the kitchen (e.g. bread, pasta, milk, fruit or vegetables).
Take some photos (of the ingredients you will use; of the steps to make your recipe; and of the finished dish) and/or some videos explaining how you made your dish.
Post the photo gallery and/or reel on your Instagram profile using the hashtag #WhyWasteRecipes #EveryPlateCounts by 8 September 2023 and tell us about the recipe you created. Make sure your profile is public, otherwise your recipe will not be visible.
All the recipes received will be assessed by a special jury made up of Food for Soul and Refettorio chefs who by preparing Refettorio meals every day, strive to tastefully feed people in need while reducing our environmental imprint. Recipes will be chosen based on the greatest contribution of creativity, upcycling and use of ingredients.
If your recipe is among those selected, the Fine Dining Lovers editorial team will contact you with a direct message via Instagram.

Our suggestions

Create a recipe that is easy to make at home, without professional tools and long lead times. It could be your fridge-emptying secret, your workhorse for using ingredients close to expiry, or your family recipe for using classic kitchen scraps.
Take lots of photos and videos and store them on your smartphone. You will only use the best ones on social media, but the others might come in handy if your recipe is selected for the Why Waste? Cookbook.
Keep track of the measurements and timings of your recipe. This will be valuable information for the cookbook.
Need inspiration? Watch the first two seasons of Why Waste? and find out how the chefs involved used leftovers and scraps of cheese, eggs, vegetables, fruit, meat and even precious bread.

What is Food for Soul?

Food for Soul is a non-profit organization founded by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore empowering local communities to cultivate a more just sustainable food system by saving food from waste and reducing barriers to food security and livelihood. In 2015, they launched their first community project called Refettorio, during the World Expo in Milan, to reinvent how we care for those hungry and isolated and work together to promote social and environmental responsibility. Alongside Rettorio partners, ther global movement is a network of 12 projects (more in development!) across 9 countries helping to save 1060+ tonnes of food.

Each Refettorio social kitchen is helmed by resident Chefs and a dedicated culinary team to operate as a sustainable kitchen. Every day, they rescue surplus food and divert imperfect ingredients from landfill into nourishing meals with hospitality for vulnerable people. Using their skill, imagination and passion, chefs prepare delicious, culturally diverse and Earth-friendly dishes that teach us how to take care of the planet and people.

Food for Soul and Refettorio social kitchens are at the forefront of saving food from waste and cultivating a sustainable future for all. You can join us in supporting their mission and donating to their impact WHYWASTE to 707070 to donate.

Why Waste? and every plate counts

#WhyWasteRecipes contributes to the worldwide challenge #EveryPlateCounts an initiative of Food for Soul in collaboration with UN Environment Programme, FAO, WWF and Future Food Institute, designed to inspire imagination to look at food and ask, Why Waste?

Both initiatives share a single objective: when you participate you are helping. Together we can halve food waste by 2030, reduce food losses by at least 25% and make sure that everyone has access to healthy and fresh food, food for our wellbeing and ecosystem.

Help us, SUPPORT Food for Soul's mission.

Through this global movement, we hope to inspire you to help us leave no food behind – every plate counts.

Save the date: 29 September 2023

Keep this date in mind. It is not only International Food Waste and Loss Awareness Day but also the day on which the Why Waste? digital cookbook will be published on Fine Dining Lovers.

So together, let's make the ordinary, extraordinary!

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