Behind New Haven’s out-of-this-world-good food is a strong dedication to sustainability. Restaurants and community programs throughout the city work hard to aid the flourishing of present and future life, each in their own way.
Invasive species cuisine, zero-landfill catering, local agriculture education — these are a few of the many sustainably-minded efforts in New Haven. It’s a community that cares and acts, and Junzi Kitchen wants to learn from it.
We visited some restaurants and community programs in New Haven to learn more about their sustainability practices. The goal is to work some of these learnings into a sustainability strategy for Junzi Kitchen, although we also just wanted to bring attention to the great stuff happening nearby.
Miya's Sushi
Led by star chef Bun Lai, Miya’s serves deliciously weird sushi that incorporates invasive species such as lionfish and Japanese knotweed. A look at the Miya’s Instagram will show Bun diving off the Connecticut coastline looking for more sustainable food options, and even cooking up cicadas.
Miya's owner Bun Lai and his skilled crew
An example of delicious sustainability at Miya's that includes jellyfish (top-right), pine needle sake (middle-left), and tilapia sashimi with roasted wax worms (top-middle)
Koffee?
Koffee? is a funky, welcoming coffeehouse in the northern section of downtown New Haven that serves great caffeine and made-from-scratch foods. Its bustling catering division, Koffee? Katering, completely avoids landfill waste by only using reusable, compostable and recyclable items.
The welcoming windows of Koffee?
Yes that's a onesie
Meat & Co.
Home to some of the best sandwiches in New Haven, Meat & Co. recently announced that all their pork will now come from the acorn-fed pigs of Walden Hill farm in New Haven: "For those of you that tried the pork you informed our decision, and we agreed. It was the best pork to come through our doors and onto our plates."
Meat & Co. cares about sandwiches
All pork at Meat & Co. is sourced from acorn-fed pigs in New Haven
Blue State Coffee
Blue State serves consistently high-quality espresso drinks thanks to a rigorous employee training program, which has helped them expand operations into Boston and Providence. Blue State recently became one of the first Connecticut businesses to receive B Corp certification, which required them to meet high standards of employee, community and environmental impact.
Blue State on York St (right nearby Junzi Kitchen on Broadway!)
Blue State sources locally and contributes 2% of sales to local not-for-profits
New Haven Farms
New Haven Farms is an urban farming program that provides educational programs on wellness, nutrition, and cooking. They also run the Peels & Wheels compost pickup program (via bicycle). For a small weekly fee, New Haven residents get compost pickup service and also a portion of the finished compost every six months.
CitySeed
CitySeed runs a variety of local food programs, including weekly farmers markets that accept SNAP, FMNP, and WIC benefit programs. They’ll even give you $10 of free fruits, vegetables or seedlings per day if you purchase $10 worth of produce at one of their markets with SNAP.
Common Ground
Common Ground is a high school, urban farm, and environmental education center all at once. Located on a beautiful 20-acre piece of land in New Haven, Common Ground regularly holds educational events, such as workshops for organic gardening and maple tree tapping.
We’re proud to open our doors in a city with strong sustainability efforts. It’s an ongoing process that we’re committed to working into our business from the start. We’re also interested in exploring the potential of collaboration with other sustainably-minded programs, so feel free to contact us at info@junzi.us.
More stories from Junzi Kitchen:
Liftoff
A Chun-Bing For Your Thoughts
Building On The Past
A Glimpse Into Junzi Kitchen