The meez Podcast Vojtech Vegh Author of "Surplus, the Food Waste Guide for Chefs"
#9. Slovakian-bored Chef Vojtech Vegh has spent his career dedicated to the pursuit of zero-waste plant-based cooking, helping restaurants around the world implement tactics into their daily operations, such as focusing on reducing food when creating menus, and not on the cutting board.
In this episode, Josh and Vojtech go into detail about his background, explaining what it was like to work in professional kitchens for 12 years before opening the world’s first vegan and zero-waste restaurant in Cambodia. Vojtech discusses how he went above and beyond when it comes to sustainability, making sure all aspects of the restaurant were handmade, custom, locally sourced, and socially conscious.
He also outlines his philosophy for the "black truffle mindset," which is the idea of being as respectful to a carrot as you are to a black truffle. Vegh argues that digging deep into an ingredient is so much fun for chefs and that one can do so much with one ingredient.
*Please note that due to some technical difficulties, the audio quality of this week's episode falls short of our typical standard. We remain committed to delivering informative and engaging content to our audience and appreciate your patience and understanding as we strive to continuously improve our production.*
Where to find Vojtech Vegh:
Where to find host Josh Sharkey:
In this episode, we cover:
(1:50) Vojtech’s background
(2:18) Why he opened a vegan restaurant in Cambodia
(4:19) Is meat a luxury?
(7:56) What is zero waste?
(10:07) The challenges of going zero-waste
(13:47) How he planned for sustainability
(16:08) The black truffle mindset
(18:55) How Vojtech got deep into the world of zero waste
(23:47) Zero waste start with your menu
(27:11) Zero waste techniques for restaurants
(33:10) Why he wrote Surplus
(35:56) How to jump start waste reduction
(37:01) Who inspires Vojtech
(39:01) Food waste lightning round