LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2020

INSIDE SCOOP

Bulking up SMART SHOPPING

Inspired by Bea Johnson’s book Zero Waste Home , Valerie Leloup plunged headfirst into the zero-waste lifestyle. The challenges were immediately apparent. “Grocery shopping was really difficult,” she says. “I was going to five or six places. Bringing my own con- tainers, I always had to explain and negotiate. It was very cumbersome.” She saw an opportunity to open a zero-waste grocery store in Ottawa, and partnered with Sia Veeramani, a fellow zero-waster who was independently working on a similar business plan. The duo opened Nu (nugrocery.com) in 2017, where everything from nuts to vinegar—even toothpaste— is sold by bulk. Customers bring their own containers or borrow them from the store and weigh them at a tare station before filling up. The store also makes a concerted effort to reduce waste on the supply side. “We do packaging exchanges with every supplier in a radius of 30 kilometres,” says Leloup. “Honey, maple syrup, cleaning supplies come in a pail, and we return the empty pail.” Nu has been such a big hit that Leloup and Veeramani opened a second location in the Old Ottawa East neigh- bourhood late last year. As for people interested in the zero-waste lifestyle, Leloup recommends starting slowly. “My Number One tip is to go step-by-step. You don’t have to do it all at once. Use what you have first then switch.”

Everything but the scales HEAD TO TAIL Kristin Donovan, co-owner of Hooked (hookedinc.ca)—a mini chain of sustainable fishmongers in Toronto and Halifax—shares her tips on minimizing seafood waste at home. The love child of bulk stores and natural food shops, zero-waste grocery stores are popping up across the province. Bring your own containers, eliminate packaging and keep the planet happy.

Other Zero-Waste Stores Zero Waste Bulk (zerowastebulk.com), Waterloo Unboxed Market (unboxedmarket.com), Toronto Refillery District (refillerydistrict.ca), Orillia

What are some of the ways you use up fish and seafood scraps at your shops? There are the obvious ones like making stocks and soups. We also use scraps for burgers, fish cakes and pâtés, or just marinate them and use them in a stir-fry or salad for a staff meal.

What are some ways that people canmake themost of their seafood at home? Freeze shrimp shells and save them for stock or add them to existing fish stock for more flavour. Fry up fish skins separately and break up over a salad or reserve for pets.

You often see salmon heads sold for next to nothing at fish counters. What can people dowith them? Save for stock, or roast separately—fish heads contain a tonne of delicious meat in the collar, cheeks, every nook and cranny. So great if you’re a picker like me.

Any other tips on minimizing seafood waste at home? It’s best to buy smaller quantities more often rather than buying for the week. Store live shellfish (mussels, clams, etc.) in a bowl covered with a damp cloth. Store fish at the back of the fridge where it is coldest.

NU IMAGES BY ERIC STOLPMAN; FISH © SIGMA1850/ADOBE STOCK

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SPRING 2020 FOOD & DRINK