Vancouver chef turns surplus food into meals

A Vancouver chef is helping reduce food waste by turning surplus ingredients into meals for charities and youth programs. TJ Conwi, who once worked as an executive chef at a Vancouver hotel, started ReRoot Kitchen after seeing how much edible food was being thrown away. During the pandemic, Conwi began cooking meals from excess food to support people who had lost work or were facing food insecurity. He later cofounded ReRoot Kitchen with Sean McDonald. The organization now works with food service companies, farms and food rescue groups to prepare packaged meals for community organizations across Vancouver. ReRoot Kitchen says it has made more than 500,000 meals so far. The article also highlights efforts in Canada to better measure food loss and waste, as well as the broader challenge of food insecurity. Conwi continues to cook for children at the Landing Youth Centre, using donated produce and other surplus ingredients to make meals that are nutritious and approachable.