Amen Street’s Executive Chef Stephen Ollard is fresh back from a field trip to New Orleans, where he and other names from the Charleston culinary scene attended the 3rd annual Collaborative Chef Summit.
The theme for this year’s summit is a topic Chef Ollard and Amen Street know very well: sustainability. The “Hands On: Sustainability in Action”-themed, three-day conference gathered together the best and brightest minds in the sustainable food movement. The Chefs Collaborative describes the group of like-minded chefs, foodies, fisherman, farmers and writers as “changing the sustainable food landscape.” The summit was chock full of fun including “four butchery workshops and demos, charcuterie and classic cocktail workshops…and workshops on grass-fed beef, Gulf seafood, dead zones, farm worker justice and climate change.”
Honors were given to Fedele Bauccio, founder and CEO of Bon Appétit Management Company for starting a company “that empowers its chefs to find creative ways to source, develop menus, motivate their staff and educate their customers”; Sal and Al Sunseri of P & J Oysters in New Orleans, credited in brightening the outlook for Louisiana’s oysters post 2010’s devastating oil spill; and Chef Sam Hayward of Fore Street in Portland, Maine, a man who modeled sustainable food practices in New England.
Chef Ollard is proud to be among the group of chefs who are changing the way people eat. Charleston is forging ahead in the sustainable food movement with restaurants like Amen Street leading the way, recreating the notion of fresh and healthy food and opening up exciting opportunities for local business and agriculture.
Grab a table at Amen Street and taste the best of Charleston’s local ingredients and newly inspired daily specials.
Amen Street is a long-time Platinum Partner in the South Carolina Aqaurium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative. We whole heartedly believe in protecting our fish and waterways with safe, sustainable fishing practices.