This past month we were lucky enough to attend a lunch hosted by Package Free Shop and Britain-based #zerowaste restaurant Silo.  Lauren Singer of her blog, Trash is for tossers and CEO of Package Free, found a friend in Silo’s Douglas McMaster online, bonded by their mutual passion of contributing less waste to our environment.  

After years of online communications they finally came together at the Ftizcarraldo in Brooklyn for limited seatings of a 6 course plant-based meal. Prepared by the Silo team, they used fresh and local ingredients sourced from Brooklyn Grange and Blue Hill Farm.

Throughout the meal we were educated on how the dishes were prepared using only a handful of elementary ingredients, that were then transformed into complex and rich bites.  This evolution was made possible through chef McMaster’s innovative techniques - i.e. our third course was lined with a compost treacle; created by reducing composted unused vegetables down to their natural sugars.  Each course was not only waste free but carbon negative through offsetting efforts.

Package Free contributed repurposed Eileen Fisher textiles for the napkins, bathroom towels, and each diner would only have one fork and knife to reduce water usage.  The beautiful tulips decorated above the dining tables were eventually consumed, paired along with homemade cheese curd in the last seating. As Mcmaster stated, “Humans must be tactful to use the same creativity that caused waste - to reduce it”.

Besides a delicious lunch, we weren’t sure what to expect.  How do socially conscious retailers like Package Free make more of an impact in their community outside of their brick and mortar/online presence?  In this case, the combined knowledge and passions of Silo and Package Free Shop partnership created a truly unique, enlightening and inspiring meal.

Click through each photo block to relive the experience with us!