One of the biggest problems affecting the world today is the rampant amount of food waste we create. In America alone there's almost 150 billion pounds of food from restaurants, stores and homes was wasted per year. Besides having some seriously negative repercussions on the environment it's also wildly unfair to have this amount of food waste when there are millions of people starving all around the world. Luckily, there are some people who are trying to make a difference. At Haoma, a newly opened fine-dining restaurant in Bangkok, they're taking huge steps to become entirely zero-waste and self-sustainable while serving amazingly delicious food.
Chef and owner Deepanker Khosla has wanted to create a self-sustainable business for years, and this dream is nearly achieved at his latest venture, Haoma. The restaurant is named after a crucial part of the ancient religion Zoroastrianism where Haoma is a sacred plant as well as the personification of a divinity who bestows health, fertility and immortality. In line with its namesake, the restaurant's main goal is to not only be entirely zero-waste but to also bring city-folk back to their roots to reconnect with the earth and nature.
Before you begin your meal you'll be given a quick tour of Haoma's Urban Farm which grows and cultivates all of the ingredients you'll be eating later (except for dairy or chocolate products). In their garden area you'll be able to try fresh herbs and vegetables growing right around you and in the back you can find the aquaponics system which houses all of the fish used in-house. If this still hasn't convinced you to make a visit to Haoma then maybe their tasting menu will.
Despite what you may be thinking, Haoma is not a "healthy" restaurant, their Monsoon Menu focuses on highlighting the seasonal ingredients they have in their arsenal and to prove that fine-dining can still be environmentally-friendly. In the tasting menu you'll find innovative dishes like a deconstructed eggs benedict or grouper in a wasabi-lettuce cream sauce. Each dish is beautifully prepared and the freshness of the ingredients is immediately apparent, so by the time you get to the dessert courses you'll be tempted to grow your own garden in your backyard.
Haoma also takes the zero-waste concept another step further by using food scraps in their dishes (don't worry, it's sanitary). One of these scrappy dishes is the wagyu cheek which comes with a potato jus made from peels supplied by Thai Harvest SOS, a non-profit food rescue foundation that has saved over 14,000 kg of food waste. The sustainability doesn't just stop at their food though, even Haoma's cocktails are making a difference. Their Trash Tiki drinks are made with tepache, which is in turn made from leftover pineapples from hotels around the Bangkok.
If you're feeling as inspired by Haoma as I am then you might be wondering how to join the zero-waste movement yourself. Take a note from the restaurant and get rid of any single use plastic you may have, starting with the easier stuff: utensils. If you eat out a lot you've probably gotten your fair share of plastic forks, spoons and straws. These items contribute to a staggering amount of pollution and it's unbelievably easy to do your part, just carry around reusable versions with you.
If you want to help the planet even more you could even start a composting, which is easier to do than you'd think! Plus, compost is super useful if you want to start your own herb garden, which is definitely something I'm considering doing after visiting this restaurant. So let's give a round of applause to Haoma for showing us just how amazing sustainability can be.