For chefs, running a sustainable restaurant kitchen can be an incredibly difficult and complex task, especially when the produce available is always shifting in terms of quality, cost and quantities. Once products are in the kitchen, avoiding food waste is the next task that is an inherent facet of any kitchen, and that takes a bit of creative planning, as well. 

From local restaurants, to farming communities, to major hotels, how are chefs across different strata of Chicago dining thinking about this issue and finding new ways to source high quality and reliable ingredients. How do Chicago chefs create models and channels for sourcing, foraging and sustainability that are different from other cities, and what can Chicago learn from other parts of the world?

Join chefs CJ Jacobson of Ema and previously from LA, Rebecca LaMalfa of the Virgin Hotels, Johnny Anderes of The Kitchen and Ryan Sand of Bernie's Lunch & Supper for a discussion on the ways that they have navigated this ecosystem and found new ways to source the ingredients they bring to their cuisine.