Chefs, hosts and azdore, traditional home cooks, give their own interpretation on leftover food and less-used parts of meat, fish and vegetables, using traditional dishes to keep memories alive. They achieve this through four course meals of classic Italian cooking, with freedom to interpret recipes based on the ingredients and on their own definition of reuse.

“Tempi di Recupero” is our own playful and convivial interpretation of sustainability. Nowadays we often waste things that, with old and new traditions, could still have many uses. The result is a wide variety of ingredients and more possibilities to mix and create new flavour combinations. This is what our guest chefs do: they use their knowledge to get the best out of everyday ingredients. Our goal is to encourage good daily habits that can enrich our quality of life starting with what we put on our plate.

Sustainability is a widespread trend in some of the best kitchens around the world. It is an old art that is once again being popularised in modern society. In old farming communities things were not often wasted; a lot of attention was paid to all ingredients and home cooks were always looking for different ways to use everything that was available in creative ways.

The Tempi di Recupero project was launched in 2013 at Osteria della Sghisa in Faenza by Carlo Catani. Between starred chefs, hosts and azdore, traditional home cooks, over 40 people have taken part in the project. All of their contributions are based around a core principle: nose to tail cooking, using leftovers and bringing back forgotten recipes centred around less noble ingredients.

The goal of the Tempi di Recupero events is to raise awareness about food waste and about how, even with good habits at home, food can be recycled, reused and not wasted.

The theme of food waste has also been tackled by international food stars such as Massimo Bottura and Norbert Niederkofler. The former launched Food For Soul, a non-profit organisation that started community kitchens in many locations around the world, where leftovers are used to feed people in need; while the latter has been promoting the use of all parts of both vegetables and meat that enter the kitchen.