Top Chefs Show How To Reduce Food Waste At Competition In Bethesda

BETHESDA, MD — Area chefs and mixologists participated in a competition Friday afternoon at Marriott International’s test kitchen in downtown Bethesda, where they made food dishes and mixed drinks with as little waste as possible.

Marriott and the nonprofit Manna Food Center held the event, “No Waste Big Taste: A Rescued Food Cooking & Cocktail Competition,” to wrap up the fifth year of DMV Food Recovery Week.

"Teams used a mystery basket of recovered food and 'ugly' produce to create their masterpieces, all while learning more about Manna Food Center, food waste prevention and food recovery efforts," Manna Food Center said in a Facebook post.

At the event, Jackie DeCarlo, CEO of Manna Food Center, noted how the chefs and mixologists showed how less food can be thrown away when making dishes and drinks.

"That's good for the planet and that's good for our mentality because we want to feed more people by wasting less food," DeCarlo said.

The No Waste Big Taste Cocktail Competition was won by Alfredo Espinoza of Marriott Bethesda Downtown. Espinoza and the other contestant were given 15 minutes to make the best drink using apple.

For the cooking competition, three teams produced a meal with little waste in 30 minutes using ramen noodles, cranberry sauce and mizuna greens.

The team of Chef Phil Skerman of the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in Arlington and Dr. Truphena Choti, CEO of Afri Thrive Inc., won the No Waste Big Taste Cooking Competition.

During DMV Food Recovery Week, Montgomery County announced the nonprofit organizations that received a total of $67,495 in Community Food Rescue mini-grants from the county to help with the organizations’ efforts to feed people.

"We know that the pandemic exacerbated the problem of food insecurity in our community and that the challenges remain for many of our residents," Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said in a statement. "I am pleased to see the wide range of organizations that are receiving grant funding to help further the important work they do in helping our neighbors feed their families."

RELATED: Montgomery County Nonprofits Awarded $67K In Grants To Feed People