Pizza topped with wasted food does not sound very appetizing, but Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine is using that innovative concept to serve up delicious, wood-fired Neapolitan and grandma style pizza pies while also helping combat food waste, designing its restaurant ideals based around this very idea.
Of all food produced in the US, food waste accounts for over one-third of where all food end up. One key contributor is produce which is grown and perfectly edible but never makes it to grocery stores for consumers to purchase due to cosmetic or size defects. The produce is still perfectly edible, but these defects make the produce less desirable for consumers to purchase as they are “ugly.” Another contributor to food waste is surplus crops where the supply of the produce is higher than the demand for it.
While companies such as Imperfect Foods and Hungry Harvest have taken steps to sell “ugly” or surplus produce, using produce which would be wasted due to imperfections is rarely seen on the restaurant level.
Opening its doors in San Francisco, California in Spring 2021, Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine upcycles surplus, misshapen, and “ugly” produce from local farms across California to make mouthwatering pizzas. Using these types of produce prevents the produce from ending up in landfills where they go uneaten and negatively impact the environment by producing greenhouse gases.
The gases created by food waste accounts for approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. By reducing the amount of food waste created or by reclaiming food which would have been wasted, billions of tons of carbon dioxide could be reduced in addition to preventing deforestation for farmland for occurring which would further prevent carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.
Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine uses these produce items which would have become food waste in their sauces and as toppings in order to make their delicious tasting, “trash-containing” pizza pies. Shuggie’s rotates their menu to adapt to the produce available, highlighting seasonal produce and preventing the produce from becoming food waste.
In addition to pizza, you can look forward to trying their amazing whipped ricotta garlic knots, homemade hot pockets, pickle pie, and—for those older than 21—the perfect wine pairings to complement your meal.
Founders
Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine is co-owned by Kayla Abe and David Murphy who also co-founded Ugly Pickle Co., a company which prepares delicious pickles which are made with “ugly” produce. As shown by their ventures, Kayla and David are passionate about decreasing food waste and have it at the core of both of their businesses.
Currently, Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine is having a Kickstarter campaign where you can help fund its delicious venture to help Shuggie’s open in spring of 2021 in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. Contributing to their campaign earns you perks such as a wine tote, the opportunity to design their pizza box, and free pizza pies.
Food waste is a big issue around the world and Shuggie’s is doing its part to decrease food waste and help the environment while still serving up delicious pizza pies. Shuggie’s Trash Pie & Natural Wine is the restaurant to try in San Francisco once it opens its doors next year.