Can sleekly packaged juices and snacks made from produce waste convince the West to throw away less food? Inside a laundromat in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier this year, Katie McKeown — the gritty chef of Hell’s Kitchen, season 13, fame — and her boyfriend, Tae Mickle, served 50-60 people her signature cocktail, the Plum Old-Fashioned. It combines bourbon with orange bitters — and a stock made from wonky plums and leftover parts of the fruit. They also served chicken-and-andouille gumbo, made in a way to ensure that food parts otherwise wasted were instead reused. They had sourced ugly and leftover groceries from local markets and restaurants. The food was served on reusable plates, and the menu was handwritten on reusable paper. As proprietors of the Hang Up — a food and cocktail collective that ensures zero food waste — the two host pop-ups in laundromats, backyards, hookah bars and “whichever place agrees to let us host,” McKeown says. They’re flipping how socially conscious firms within the food industry have approached waste in recent years. And they’re not alone. | 