Clement Chauvin, Head Chef and sole owner of Les Bistronomes. Photo credit Canberra Times and Gary Ramage.
11 June 2024
Clement Chauvin, Head Chef and sole owner of Les Bistronomes, has taken out the Waste Minimisation Award at the 2024 Climate Choices Business Awards.
He has been acknowledged for his creative and community-minded sustainability initiatives.
The Awards recognise climate leaders in the business arena across eight categories.
Les Bistronomes was celebrated for making sustainable choices for everything from sourcing ingredients to disposing waste.
“It was wonderful to receive the award,” said Clement.
“As a chef, I’m aware that my produce comes from mother earth and the land we live on. It makes sense to be considerate of the earth that gives us the food that nurtures and feeds us all,” he said.
Some of the ideas Les Bistronomes was recognised for as part of the award came about during COVID.
“It was a difficult time, but it really created community around our restaurant, and led to some great ideas for sustainability and waste minimisation,” Clement said.
The idea to create a ‘green card’ came about from a woman who donated 80 kilograms of Jerusalem artichokes to Clement. She had an excess and didn’t know what to do with them.
“I wanted to repay her in some way, and that’s when the idea came,” he said.
“Local home growers in Canberra can bring in their raspberries, flowers, lemons, rhubarb or homegrown veggies in exchange for a 10 per cent discount at the restaurant.”
This initiative reduces food waste and grows community connection, as well as limiting food miles.
Les Bistronomes also gives growers food scraps for their compost.
This is a way of sequestering carbon and returning nutrients to the soil. Their approach is not only great for the business, but also gives back to the local community.
Clement has now established strong relationships with a number of locals who love growing fruits and vegetables and who regularly supply food for the restaurant.
“I now work with two local ladies, and we plan out crops so that the restaurant has a steady and seasonal supply of produce,” he said.
The Sustainable Business Program
Clement said the future for Les Bistronomes is to go all-electric and move to solar if he can.
He has reached out to the ACT Government’s Sustainable Business Program to help him.
The program has technical experts who can provide all ACT businesses with free advice on ways to improve their energy efficiency; including transitioning off gas with rebates of up to $10,000, installing solar panels and battery storage.
“The Sustainable Business Program helped me look at what options were available to improve sustainability, but from an infrastructure point of view,” Clement said.
“We’re looking to switch from gas to electric induction cooking and we’re investigating how we can use solar to offset electricity costs.”
Find out more about the Sustainable Business Program and the other Climate Choices Business Awards winners.
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