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The phrase “upcycled feast” doesn’t exactly make you salivate, but when that feast is crafted by some of the Portland region’s best chefs, your taste buds should start tingling. On Sept. 14, Urban Gleaners’ Summer Supper returns to the Redd on Salmon for a second year, which promises to be bigger, more delicious, and more sustainable than the first edition.
Urban Gleaners’ Summer Supper has already established itself as one of the city’s final major food events to wrap up a busy summer. For nearly 20 years, the venerable local nonprofit Urban Gleaners has been bringing excess food donated by restaurants, schools, businesses, farms and events to communities and organizations in need. “Surplus” can mean pretty much anything that might be destined for a landfill if not consumed.
The idea of eating food that would otherwise be thrown out may sound gross to those of us conditioned to be petrified by expiration dates, but cutting down on food waste is a major priority for the grocery and hospitality world. Teaching the public to think differently about how we handle our food is an important part of the Urban Gleaners mission. It’s also the core of Summer Supper.
“We understand that the phrase ‘food waste’ can bring up hesitation, but most of what we glean is perfectly fresh and safe to eat,” says Nico Niebes, Urban Gleaners’ executive director. “Food comes to us for reasons that have nothing to do with quality: Maybe it’s misshapen produce that won’t sell at market, a small blemish that can be trimmed away, or items at their sell-by date but still well within safe consumption. Without us, this food would be discarded.”
The Urban Gleaners team is fond of pointing out food conservation facts. A press statement shared that “wasted food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills, where it emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. By eliminating food waste, we could feed every person in the U.S. three times over.”
If last year’s Summer Supper is any indication, fusing an environmentally conscious mission with fancy cuisine is an appetizing concept to Portlanders. More than 550 people gathered to feast on 1,100 pounds of gleaned food. Attendees raved about kann chef Gregory Gourdet’s beets, among other dishes.
“I hope guests walk away inspired to think differently about food: how to use ingredients fully, creatively, and with less waste,” Niebes says. “Last year, one chef used every part of a watermelon, even the rind, to create a beautiful dish. That kind of innovation makes me think about how I can be more resourceful in my own kitchen.”
Expect this year’s Summer Supper to be filled with even more yummy surprises by more than 20 chefs, bakers, winemakers and beverage makers. The roster of chefs includes heavy hitters and established names alike. Kari Shaughnessy of Carlton’s James Beard-nominated Hayward will serve grilled meatballs with hot mustard and pickled cabbage. Sarah Minnick of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty and Louis Lin of Xiao Ye will collaborate on a seasonal pizza with beets and chicories. Plant Based Papi’s Jewan Manuel will share a taste of king oyster mushroom short ribs and crispy golden potatoes with cilantro chimichurri. Salt & Straw, Sugarpine Drive-In and others will make sure guests leave room for dessert.
Besides expanding the number of chefs (and specifically the dessert offerings), this year’s event adds a free food market to give attendees a behind-the-scenes look at how Urban Gleaners’ programs work, from food rescue to community distribution.
“Portland is a city rich with food culture, but many of our neighbors face food insecurity,” Niebes says. “With cuts to programs like SNAP, the need for accessible, fresh food is growing.”
The process of pulling together the ingredients for the event is an impressive work of logistical juggling on the part of the Urban Gleaners team and the chefs, according to Niebes.
“We start by sharing with chefs a list of items that we frequently glean, and then they take the lead on choosing what dish they want to prepare. Once chefs build their menus, we coordinate with our food donation partners and our own warehouse inventory to source their ingredients. We aim for at least two to three gleaned items per dish, but last year about 90% of the event was supplied through rescued food. The chefs are truly the masterminds, turning overlooked ingredients into extraordinary dishes!”
Summer Supper stands out among a landscape of dining events that is still surprisingly crowded even in Portland’s post-pandemic, post-Feast reality. While attending a walk-around tasting is typically a fun time, this one stands out for the way it simultaneously educates you while you’re chowing down on tasty bites and supports feeding thousands of families.
“Summer Supper is about joy, creativity and community,” Niebes says. “But at its core, it’s about building a more equitable food system where no good food goes to waste and no one goes hungry.”
SEE IT: Summer Supper by Urban Gleaners at The Redd, 831 SE Salmon St., urbangleaners.org. 5–8 pm Sunday, Sept. 14. $100–$150.
