Phoenix Restaurants Innovate to Cut Food Waste with City Grants

Phoenix honored local restaurant owners who used city grants to cut food waste, collaborating with chefs for solutions.

March 28, 2025

Phoenix Restaurants Tackle Food Waste with Innovative Grant Program

In an inspiring move to combat the growing issue of food waste, Phoenix has recently celebrated local restaurant owners who effectively utilized city grants to minimize waste in their operations and communities.

Kailey Mullis, who leads Project REDUCE with Phoenix’s Office of Environmental Programs, noted that this initiative allowed participants to collaborate with a professional chef and city staff to discover creative and often surprisingly straightforward methods to curb food waste.

A group of local restaurant owners gathered at the Burton Barr Library recently to celebrate the conclusion of the second phase of Project REDUCE.

“Every year, Phoenix generates around 270,000 tons of food waste and about 69,000 tons of that is generated from restaurants,” Mullis explained. “That makes restaurants the second-largest producer of food waste in our city right after households.”

The city enhanced its support for these restaurants by offering financial grants during the program’s second phase.

Stephanie Vasquez, owner of Fair Trade Café, expressed how these grants provide a crucial opportunity to reflect and innovate. “The external environment will always impact us,” Vasquez noted. “But if we’re very clear on what we are doing, this is where entrepreneurs — this is where we work the best. We innovate.”

Stephanie Vasquez stands on the left speaking to Chris Lenza on the right, standing with a table between them. The shoulder and back of another woman can be seen next to Stephanie. — Fair Trade Café owner Stephanie Vasquez (left) catches up with local chef Chris Lenza (right), who helps restaurants participating in Project REDUCE find new or unexpected ways they can prevent food waste.

Vasquez emphasized the importance of having a mission-driven approach, highlighting her 17 years in the food and beverage industry, where she observed consumers seeking meaningful experiences. “If you’re mission-driven and you’re purpose-driven, your consumer and your customer is going to support you,” she said.

The shift toward sustainable practices is evident at Fair Trade Café, where less than a bag of waste is sent to the landfill each day, thanks to measures like waste separation.

Another participant, Lyndelle Sanjuanero, owner and chef at Olla Olla Crepes, found herself rethinking inventory management. After an over-purchase of blueberries, she innovatively crafted a house-made blueberry sauce, which became a hit at a recent event with crepes.

José Puente can be seen in the background on the left, placing a small-sized paper plate on a long table covered with a black cloth. Dozens of other cups and plates are out, serving horchata and blueberry crepes. Lyndelle Sanjuanero can be seen in the foreground on the right, standing and smiling as she faces the same direction as José. — Lyndelle Sanjuanero (right) owns and operates Olla Olla Crepes with help from her husband, José Puente (left).

Sanjuanero’s efforts led to streamlining her menu from six pages to one, allowing her to hire additional staff, thus boosting both sustainability and employment.

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