As restaurants across Houston become more conscious of their environmental impact, some local chefs are aiming to create a dining experience that connects patrons with the freshest possible meals. In honor of Earth Day, we’re highlighting an UberEATS restaurant partner that focuses on limiting its carbon footprint.

LOCALLY SOURCED

Chef Kevin Naderi of Roost, located in Montrose, estimates that about 60 percent of their menu comes from local farms. The concept of “farm to table” caught on in the last decade, and it played an important role in shaping the menu when Naderi opened his restaurant in 2011.

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Chef Kevin Naderi of Roost

“From leaving the farm to arriving at the grocery stores could be sometimes as much as nine days. I go to the market in the morning and they’re telling me the vegetables were just picked at 5am,” Naderi said.

It’s mainly about cutting the middle man out. Roost frequents the Urban Harvest market to get local strawberries, brussels sprouts, collard greens, beets, and more.

“You really have to know what will be there long-term and what will be available more sporadically. We change our menus pretty often to reflect that,” Naderi said.

DEALING WITH WASTE

Due to their residential location, Naderi faced challenges with composting the restaurant’s food. Rather than waste food, Roost improved inventory planning and strategically scaled down their purchasing to reduce waste.

Oven baked fresh catch fish with Southern oyster stuffing, broccoli and beurre blanc sauce
Oven-baked fresh catch fish with Southern oyster stuffing, broccoli and beurre blanc sauce

“We’re a little more sensible about how we order,” Naderi said. “We don’t have a lot of waste, that’s how we counter it. We try to order from vendors just a few times a week, rather than large orders.”

COMMUNITY IMPACT

For nearly a decade, Naderi has taught long-term sustainability and healthy eating habits to kids across the city through Recipe for Success. The organization helps communities in need and donates money to school districts to fund home economics classes. With the help of volunteers, they’re able to visit low-income schools to teach students smarter ways of eating and give them opportunities to cook for themselves.

Roost prides itself on the freshest farm to table ingredients from Houston area farms and seafood vendors.

“We use all Gulf seafood, all the time. We’ve got crawfish tails from Louisiana on the menu right now. Gulf mahi-mahi was just caught the other morning from Matagorda,” Naderi said. “We use about four different farms currently and our beef is from 44 Farms in Cameron, Texas.”

Stop by Roost on Fairview Street in Montrose or look for their exciting and sustainable dishes on UberEATS. Happy Earth Day, Houston!