Pasque

Denver Restaurant Pasque Is all but Eliminating Food Waste

"A nature-forward, sustainability-driven restaurant in downtown Denver led by Executive Chef Ian Wortham, built around a whole-product, near-zero-waste philosophy. The kitchen emphasizes local sourcing and seasonality while intentionally repurposing trims and scraps so ingredients appear across multiple dishes (for example, lamb loin and lamb ragu, roasted carrots paired with a carrot vinaigrette, and local sheep’s-milk ricotta showing up in appetizers and dessert). As the first downtown venue to adopt an on-site biodigester, the operation uses a rented subscription service (BioGreen360) that includes maintenance and removal of processed waste to local compost distributors; staff across front and back of house are trained to operate the unit and use small bus tubs for plate scraps. Management prioritized waste-elimination during hiring and pre-opening, and the team continues to fine-tune prep and portioning to reduce what goes into the biodigester while pursuing a scalable, pragmatic path to near-zero waste." - Pamela Vachon