Rice Bar turns food waste to tasty grain bowls

Those in the know shop for produce in Kensington – but what happens to the stuff that doesn’t sell? The founder of Trashed & Wasted, Toronto’s only all-food-waste festival, has an answer: Transform it into tasty salads and grain bowls. Brock Shepherd has announced he’s teamed up with the founder of 4 Life Natural Foods to create a quick-service food counter inside the store (210 Augusta, at Baldwin) that draws from its roster organic products.

Rice Bar will offer a lineup of vegetarian salads and bowls (organic, ethically-raised meats are optional). Of particular note is the Wabi Sabi salad, which will feature an ever-changing mix of produce “rescued” from 4 Life, with buttermilk blue cheese dressing and pumpkin seeds. Additionally, a rotating lineup of soup and stews will also feature not-quite-past-its-prime produce.

And to top it all off: An “electric lemonade” that turns from yellow to bright purple with a splash of pea flower tea (sure to be a big hit on Insta).

nataliam@nowtoronto.com | @nataliamanzocco