Beyond Organic: Celebrity Chef Greens the Biz
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 01.25.06

Hats off to Rick Bayless, the celebrity chef who has expanded his role as a sustainable foods advocate to that of a sustainable business advocate. Bayless, owner of Frontera Grill in Chicago recently hosted a workshop for area restaurateurs interested in greening their establishments. Participants were encouraged to use biodegradable and recycled materials for packaging to-go containers, increase recycling, serve more local and organic foods, use safe cleaning products, be more energy efficient and much more. Forty of Chicago's top restaurants attended the event, which was co-hosted with the Environmental Law & Policy Center. ELPC plans to publish a guide based on the workshop called “Going Greener: Opportunities to Improve Your Restaurant’s Environmental Practices.”
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Rick Bayless is supposedly a genuinely nice guy too. My friend used to work for him at Topolobampo, which brought Mexican food into the world of haute cuisine. My friends treated me to dinner there, yum.. NY's obnoxious Bobby Flay beat Bayless on the Iron Chef, though. That was really unfair. Cheers go to kind, organic chefs in unsung Chicago.
he looks disturbingly like a young rolf harris