Turning Ugly Food Waste into Delightful Meals

Ugly dinners? We’re sure you’ve had a few, as have we.

But the would-be ugly dinners we’re showing you have inner beauty. They are made using food that otherwise would have gone to the landfill – even though it is still safe to eat – that has been transformed for human consumption.

Yum! 

Kansas City nonprofit Kanbe’s Markets, which intercepts food otherwise headed to the local dump, has teamed up with six restaurants in the area to see what their chefs could come up with using the “ugly food” Kanbe’s provides. The program is designed to raise awareness of what they do in the community and why you shouldn’t be afraid of weird looking fruits and vegetables. 

The Campground, located in the West Bottoms, is one of the participating restaurants. When asked how she came up with the ideas used to convert the food waste into a four-course dinner, Chef Sara Osborn said, “I just kind of did a bunch of the stuff that I like eating, and that I like making for people.”

Watch the attached video to learn more about how she used the imperfect food given to her by Kanbe’s two days before the dinner. 

If you are interested in attending an ugly dinner, Kanbe’s plans to host three more this year, with the next one on Aug 3 at Hotel Kansas City.

Emily Woodring is a food content producer for Kansas City PBS.