She's cooking up a clean & green business plan

MANILA, Philippines - What to do with more than 500 kilos of bones, close to 2,000 eggshells and an endless supply of vegetable and fruit parings each week? Turn these into fertilizer, that’s what.

“If you take care of the soil, you will never go hungry,” says Susana “Annie” Guerrero, president and founder of The Cravings Group of Companies that operates a chain of restaurants and Center for Culinary Arts Manila, the pioneer professional culinary school in the Philippines. On the day of our visit she was anxiously waiting for the delivery of a new shredding machine that could crush the hardest pork pata or beef marrowbones.

“Gardening is like cooking,” she declares. “By enriching the soil with natural nutrients, you ensure a bountiful harvest. You are able to produce healthy crops without the usual chemical toxins.” As a firm believer in the adage “Waste not, want not,” this culinary entrepreneur wears another hat as an ecological entrepreneur.

“What some people designate as waste can provide endless opportunities and livelihood for numerous people,” says Guerrero. And at her 4,000-square-meter Kaingin Ecology Center in barangay Pansol in Quezon City, she proves this by coming up with a variety of products. She invites artists and craftsmen to conduct courses on handmade papermaking, table or floor mat and bag-making and other crafts. The glossy magazines and giftwrapping paper set aside for the center by her friends are cut up and rolled into colorful paper beads. Of these, the perfectly fashioned are fabricated into fashion jewelry, while those that did not quite make the standard are used for attractive wine bottle adornments, gift tag ornaments or table napkin holders. Workers are primarily housewives from nearby depressed communities who are appreciative of the extra income they earn from making crafts.

Mainly because of her cooking background, however, projects that involve the kitchen are closest to Guerrero’s heart. Aside from compost material sold at P10 per bag and organic vinegar production that uses pasteurization to ensure product safety, the Cravings Group has set up the Culinary Education Foundation (CEF) to conduct food-related livelihood programs.

“During the training sessions, we teach techniques to make ordinary street food tasty and nutritious. We tell our participants that it is their duty to keep the food that they prepare safe.” Skills learned at the foundation are ample, so that a good number of housewives are able to provide nutritious meals for their families at lower cost, while at the same time gaining some degree of economic freedom from income derived from various small businesses. “The women come to a realization that they can earn a living without neglecting their families.”

Recognizing the pressing concern for sustainable practices in all facets of modern living, Guerrero also started the Green Chefmanship Program at her school with the collaboration of the late, much respected environmentalist Odette Alcantara. The course is aimed at instilling the tenets of a “green” kitchen and lessening the chef’s carbon footprint. “Green chefmanship is 80 percent attitude,” says Guerrero. “Simple things like making sure you are using a blue flame in cooking, or making the effort to peel and slice carefully helps in reducing volume waste.” In addition, correct portioning of food that is served translates to a smaller volume of plate waste. But even this is not rendered useless, as it is given to hog raisers for feed. By rigorously segregating recyclable bottles and tins and significantly cutting down the use of plastic wrapping, residual waste is greatly reduced.

“The program is enhanced as we share the technology,” says the passionate green advocate. As an offshoot of the organic fertilizer project, the Culinary Education Foundation now offers an organic vegetable and herb gardening where participants are trained on basic farm planning. A vermiculture session that includes a home composting lesson is also on the agenda. “The exciting possibilities are endless and there are so many ways for all to become involved,” says Guerrero.

She consistently sets an environmentally responsible example, so that the mindset has rubbed off on her team — with good results. This year, The Cravings Group was a recipient of the Excellence in Ecology in Economy Award from Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) for its sustainability efforts.

And although it is Susana Guerrero’s nature to quietly yet continuously try to help in all aspects that she can, she is appreciative of the honor. While she did not join the environmentalism bandwagon for the prestige it can bring in our increasingly ecologically-conscious society, the award is an affirmation that her projects are really worthwhile.

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The Culinary Education Foundation is located at Cravings Center, mezzanine floor, 287 Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. For inquiries, call 928-8167 local 203 or e-mail cefmanila@yahoo.com.ph or cef@cca-manila.com.