FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Award-Winning Chef Launches Nation’s First Zero-Waste Culinary Academy to Train Next Generation in Climate-Smart Cooking
Curriculum backed by USDA-funded research will graduate 250 apprentices annually in plant-forward techniques, regenerative sourcing, and circular kitchen operations.
Portland, Ore. – November 21, 2025
Veteran farm-to-table chef Maya Patel today announced the opening of Verdant Kitchen Culinary Academy, a 12,000-square-foot training facility dedicated exclusively to sustainable food practices. The school, housed in a renovated 1930s warehouse on Portland’s inner eastside, will begin accepting applications December 1 for cohorts starting March 2026.
The launch arrives as commercial kitchens face mounting pressure to shrink their environmental footprint. Food service accounts for 8–10 % of global greenhouse-gas emissions, according to a 2025 analysis by the United Nations Environment Programme, and the National Restaurant Association reports that 62 % of U.S. diners now factor “eco-friendly” menus into dining decisions. Verdant Kitchen’s nine-month apprenticeship targets that demand by integrating plant-forward cookery, regenerative sourcing, and zero-waste systems into every lesson plan.
A recent curriculum study funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that community-college culinary programs embedding sustainability competencies can cut ingredient waste 34 % and energy use 22 % within two academic quarters—metrics Patel intends to exceed through real-time tracking in the academy’s teaching restaurant.
“We are not adding a ‘green’ elective; we are rebuilding culinary education from the soil up,” said Patel, who sold her three Portland restaurants to finance the $6.2 million project. “Our graduates will leave knowing how to ferment stems, butcher for nose-to-tail yield, and negotiate contracts with local legume growers—skills that directly decarbonise professional kitchens.”
The academy’s 30-seat teaching restaurant will operate on a pre-paid reservation model to eliminate food waste, while an on-site aquaponic greenhouse will supply 40 % of produce. Students will also complete a three-week externship with regional farms practicing carbon-sequestering techniques such as cover-cropping and reduced tillage.
Market data support the venture’s timing. The plant-based food sector grew 6.5 % in 2024 to reach $9.4 billion, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 14 % annual job growth for sustainability-trained chefs through 2032. Meanwhile, Oregon’s farm-gate sales of organic produce topped $633 million last year, giving graduates a robust local supply chain.
Verdant Kitchen has already secured $1.1 million in workforce-development grants from the Oregon Department of Agriculture and forged hiring partnerships with Kimpton Hotels, Evergreens Salads, and Salt & Straw, all of which have pledged to interview every graduate.
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