Sustainable Chefs: Jean-Claude at Park Hyatt DC
It took no convincing for the passionate Park Hyatt DC team to start their hunt for a hauler who could collect their food waste. The hotel, including Blue Duck Tavern located within the hotel, began composting with Compost Crew in October 2023. They have diverted over 46,350 pounds of food waste in less than a year. While the hotel does its best to reduce production of excess food and to donate what it can to food rescue organizations, businesses in the hospitality industry are prone to waste given the high volume and turn-around of patrons. Jose Felder, Executive Steward at Hyatt Hotels, and Jean-Claude Plihon, culinary and F&B Director, were two major players who were adamant about initiating composting to Park Hyatt DC.
“It’s a duty and expectation that we have to do better. The landfill is not acceptable. That’s how we look at it.” said Chef Plihon.
Plihon was introduced to a sustainable way of life starting at a young age. Simply growing up in France came with this mindset, especially with an uncle who worked in the food industry and a father who had an interest in horticulture. His father would take Plihon to pick their own fresh vegetables and even grow most produce themselves. They knew exactly where the food came from. At the time, they didn’t call it “organic” to emphasize what the produce was. Instead, it was a given. He expresses that, in hindsight and after some reflection, he was extremely lucky. With an expectation that food should be locally-sourced and in-season, Plihon is pleased to work in a space where the food philosophy is “seasonal farm-to-table.”
As a pioneer of this concept, Park Hyatt DC maintains a rooftop garden that not only offers native plants to our ecosystem but produces tomatoes, peppers, herbs and even edible flowers that can be incorporated into their dishes. They purchase a wider variety and larger quantity of food from small ethical farms that are within an approximate 250 mile radius from the hotel, reaching only as far as Pennsylvania and Virginia. They also inquire about each of their behind-the-scenes practices and have a willingness to pay what is necessary based on these requirements.
Park Hyatt DC’s rooftop garden hosts 5 bee hives that are currently producing honey to be harvested this Fall!
Plihon’s experience working around the world, from southeast France to Barbados, Egypt to the United States, has sharpened his skills, increased his appreciation for his career, upped the requirement for local food and provoked him in being moved to spread the mission to reduce waste. General Manager, Terry Dunbar, agrees with this outlook and wants it to reflect throughout the company in hopes to do more in the future. The hotel opted to have Compost Crew visit the property to train its employees. Felder, who initiated communication with our company, has been making sure staff is trained and that there is signage throughout the kitchen to ensure the waste goes in the correct bins.
Plihon shares that their team is engaged in learning how to compost and want to do it well. There are never too many chefs in the kitchen when it comes to composting at the hotel. While recycling bins are available throughout the property, the compost bins are kept at the back of the house where employees can discard wasted food from customers’ plates. This helps reduce contamination and put employee knowledge to the test which has worked in favor of clean compost piles. They even hosted “The Good Taste Series” 2024 at their hotel, a friendly competition amongst Hyatt chefs from around the region. These guest chefs ended up getting a taste of just how easy it is to compost in the kitchen.
Park Hyatt DC offers to host a region-wide event. Chefs quickly adjusted to preparing their dishes in a kitchen where sustainable practices are in place.
Plihon, Felder and Dunbar have been spreading the word to other businesses like theirs, hoping that more Hyatt hotels begin finding a more sustainable disposal option that has the potential to reduce overall hauling costs and landfill-bound waste.
“It’s more than worth it, it’s a must. I think all businesses/hotels should [compost]. It’s just putting food in one bin and trash in another. It doesn’t take much work once you get used to it. It’s such a good feeling…” Plihon continues expressing that “…one of our greatest accomplishments is to see this sustainability effort come to fruition.”
The hotel has also been spreading their sustainability efforts in other areas of the property, maintaining five bee hives with a goal to add more. After starting this mission back up in 2023, they are able to do their most recent harvest, this year. As mentioned before, the hotel diverts other recyclables from the landfill including materials like glass and oil. Though they understand that there is always something more to do, the Park Hyatt DC team feels they are moving in the right direction.
