Memphis … one hot city.
And I don’t just mean the heat. Memphis has long been known for it’s incredible restaurants and talented chefs. If you live here, you know these local jewels and will likely agree how food-fortunate Memphians are.
I’m proud to call Memphis my home. I’m proud of the local talent in music, art, film and especially food. There is never an occasion that we don’t have a wide variety of great places to choose from. Sometimes the biggest dilemma is which of these local favorites we should go to next—there are so many. And we’re not the only ones who think so. Memphis has quite a few national award-winning chefs and you don’t have to look far to see who they are!
My husband and I like to eat out a lot and I’ve worked in restaurants —waiting tables, hosting and bartending. Over time, I started to pay attention to the amount of waste restaurants generate and wanted to do my part in helping eliminate some of it. Or, rather, not eliminate it but put it to good use through composting, recycling, etc. I got sick of hearing myself complain and decided to do something about it, so I started Project Green Fork.
Project Green Fork is a non-profit initiative that helps Memphis restaurants become environmentally sustainable. We help connect chefs to local farmers to increase their usage of locally produced goods. We assist in setting up in-house composting and recycling programs to reduce solid waste, which ultimately ends up in our landfills. We partner with Memphis Light, Gas and Water to perform free restaurant energy assessments. We also help source and replace toxic cleaning chemicals and non-biodegradable food and beverage containers with greener alternatives.
Project Green Fork certified restaurants are working hard to take care of their customers and the environment by following sustainable practices. They’re also helping take care of the local economy by hosting fundraisers, sourcing local foods and shopping at Farmer’s Markets.
The restaurant business is not an easy one. It’s a labor of love and in this economy it sure takes a lot of love! Memphian, tourist, and Smart City web reader … please support all of the great dining options available to you, especially those locally owned.
Cheers!
Website: www.projectgreenfork.org
Facebook: Project Green Fork
Twitter: projgreenfork
Margot:
Great writeup and you do a great job promoting both local businesses and the city of Memphis on the whole. The Greenfork certified stable is awesome across the board, and your presence puts soft pressure on other restaurants to evaluate their footprint.
Keep up the great work!
Well said Margot.
Keep up the much needed work. I look forward to seeing you take over all the local restaurants of Memphis and maybe even a few franchises!
Margot,
I think this is one of the more exciting things happening in Memphis right now, and I would like to add a challenge to all who provide food service. I’m thinking specifically of churches. Idlewild Presbyterian Church is in the process of becoming a Greenfork kitchen. We feed over 100 homeless folks every Thursday evening, as well as other meals for parishoners throughout the week. It has been fun to see the kitchen staff rally around this concept! Good work.
Hooray for Margot! This lady puts her money…and time and immense energy…where her mouth is. She is an example of what we should all do, namely, quit the griping and get to work. I can say with authority that these PGF restaurants are working hard day in and day out to do their part for the environment. I know that because I see what most of them put in their recycle bins (as the owner and proprietor of Get Green Recycleworks). Let’s all give them and Margot our support and patronage. They deserve it! And whoever you are, start a recycling program at your workplace too!
Much love to Margot. I, and Memphis, are so proud of you for helping restaurants and the environment. Every time I see a Project Green Fork sticker on a restaurant entry, I know that they are doing their part – and it makes me smile. :–) Great job.