Sustainable Event Catering: How to Balance Food Waste, Flavor & Bottom Line

Here's an event F&B stat that dumbfounds me: on average, 42% of the food we prepare for a buffet goes uneaten — and at one event, 72% of the special-dietary meals got thrown straight in the trash. As someone who has spent the last 16 years fighting to make sure every guest gets fed safely, that second number breaks my heart and lights a fire under me. Those are real stats from a 2026 World Wildlife Fund and ReFED study of six real business events.

So when Chef Nettie Frank told me while we were at the ICA conference this summer that she'd built a company around rescuing flavor before it hits the bin, I said — okay, I need to hear exactly how you do that.

Nettie is a chef who has worked every angle of feeding people: Culinary Institute of America grad, founder of Silver Whisk Catering, owner of the beloved Beyond Glaze bakery, cookbook author, and yes — you've seen her on Cake Wars and Chopped.

Now she's the founder and CEO of CITREVE, a chef-driven freeze-drying company that came directly out of a sustainability talk she gave to caterers. Her idea: freeze-dry the leftover sauce, the peak-season herbs, the citrus you'd normally toss — and bring them back to life later, color and flavor intact.

Why should planners AND suppliers care? Because food waste is a cost line, a sustainability report, and a garnish bin at every bar you run. Extending a seasonal ingredient, cutting spoilage, designing a lower-waste cocktail program — that's money and impact on your F&B line, whether you're planning the event or catering it.

Join us for this week's Eating at a Meeting. And tell me — what's the most food you've ever watched get thrown out at an event? Let's talk about it in the comments.

Every meal matters. So does every ingredient.

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