Bergen Buzz

Waste Not

Some customers’ trash is one Ridgewood chef’s treasure. Kevin Portscher (pictured), the chef and co-owner of the Village Green, takes food-waste reduction to the next level by using all parts of the vegetables in his cooking, whether turning a Brussels sprout stem into a kraut or cooking down a tomato for a rich jam. He also donates unusable food scraps to TevaLand Sanctuary Farm, in Rockland County, N.Y., where they’re fed to animals. Portscher is helping New Jersey reach its goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030.