We are in the throes of winter but spring celebrations are right around the corner! Weddings, graduation, prom…. better start planning those parties! But if you want to take some of that planning off your shoulders AND create almost zero waste during your event check out Green Planet Catering. TZW has all you need to know about this eco-friendly catering company in this month’s Local Spotlight.

Owner Daniel Whittaker

Owner Daniel Whittaker, a University of Alabama alumus, started GPC in 2007 after learning that the hospitality industry was one of the most wasteful in the US. He and his original team created a network of local folks to help green the business.  From biofuel for the vans, to local farmers and compost companies, they were moving in the right direction, but they needed something more. Enter Patrick Cowden. “When Patrick came on board over three years ago, we had already built up a strong company and brand,” Whitaker explains, “but we needed a true Executive Chef to take us to the next level. His commitment to finding great local products and reducing waste were a perfect fit.”

Chef Cowden

Chef Cowden attended New England Culinary Institute and is a long time resident of the triangle serving as Executive Chef of Tobacco Road Sports Café’s, The Weathervane Restaurant at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, Michael Jordan’s 23 Sport Cafe, and his own restaurant Patrick’s Seasonal Cuisine, to name a few.  Chef Cowden creates locally sourced and in season menus and also strives to reduce food waste by finding ways to use every piece of a product. He uses leftover produce for pickling, makes “ugly” fruit into jams and jellies, and creates flavored syrups, tinctures and salts out of stems and left over bits of fruits and herbs.

Together the pair have made GPC a near zero waste company with an small efficient kitchen and online systems. Chef Patrick says “operating in an environmentally responsible way is just the right thing to do. I was raised that way (a child of the 60’s) and it is just natural to run every facet of my life and work in that manner.” Bonus: Chef Patrick can accommodate any diet. Vegan, Whole30, Keto, Paleo…anything!

In addition, GPC offers a full compost program: the plates/utensils/food/cups, etc are all compostable materials. They return to each event to gather the waste and bring it back to their compost bins that are in turn picked up by Brooks Contractorand turned in to high-end compost.

You can contact Green Planet Catering here and be sure to check out their sister restaurant in Raleigh, The Pharmacy Cafe.

Bravo guys!