New Year’s Revolutions
With the start of 2025, we continue our tradition of reflecting on the idea of revolutions rather than resolutions. We notice the natural cycles, the slow return toward longer days, the opportunities to transform waste into nutrients for the soil and our diets, the celebrations of second and third generation clients and the threads that connect our community creating mutual success. We also recognize the delightful contradiction in the word which signifies both a repetitive cycle and a force for change. Thus, a time for profound rethinking of habits and methods which allow for healthy new possibilities.
Wishing you a healthy, peaceful, and tasty new year.
The Classic Catering People:
We composted over 20 tons of organic matter in 2024.
We diverted another 80 tons of waste product into recycling.
With every kilowatt of power we used, we invested back into renewable energy sources.
We cooked for, contributed to, and supported over 75 non-profit organizations within our community and beyond, supporting children, wellness, the environment and education among other things.
We partnered with multiple organizations to send more than 1,500 pounds of unconsumed food throughout our community to mitigate food waste.
Local efforts:The 6th Branch: Together We ServeThe 6th Branch (T6B) is a nonprofit organization in Baltimore that leverages the leadership skills of military veterans to serve local communities. Thirteen years ago, several Baltimore companies, including T. Rowe Price, CareFirst, and BGE, sought to commemorate September 11th by creating a joint service project called Together We Serve. Classic joined this initiative as the lunch sponsor, providing meals for hundreds of volunteers. Together We Serve partnered with The 6th Branch to transform neglected spaces into green, thriving environments. The 6th Branch, in collaboration with East Baltimore neighborhood leaders, has removed concrete, debris, and trash to create two community farms, a tree nursery, and multiple park spaces. These efforts, part of an ongoing mission to establish green corridors, enhance urban resilience and provide sustainable, community-driven spaces.Thread Coffee RoastersThread Coffee Roasters, established in 2012 and based in Baltimore, is a worker cooperative dedicated to ethical sourcing and sustainability. Their commitment to smallholder coffee farmers is evident through their transparent trade model, which emphasizes paying above fair-trade prices and reinvesting in farming communities annually. Thread Coffee also contributes $0.03 per pound of coffee sold to an impact fund that supports sustainable farming practices and environmental initiatives in coffee-growing regions.
Their dedication to sustainability extends to promoting organic coffee farming methods, which reduce carbon footprints by avoiding synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, preserving forests, and supporting biodiversity.
Through these efforts, Thread Coffee Roasters not only delivers high-quality coffee but also fosters positive change in both local and global communities.
Beyond Baltimore: The Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Circular Economy Initiative
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation champions the concept of a circular economy, where resources are reused, refurbished, and recycled to minimize waste and environmental impact. Through partnerships with businesses, governments, and academia, the foundation develops solutions for industries like fashion, plastics, and food. By promoting systemic change, this initiative addresses global issues such as resource scarcity and pollution, helping industries transition to sustainable practices that prioritize long-term environmental health. Luke Gonzalez handing out Classic To Go boxed lunches at this year’s Together We Serve event on September 11th.
Waste Not
Okara flour is a great example of a no waste food. In fact, it’s a double no waste product.
Okara is the little known by-product of making tofu and if I hadn’t lived in Japan and discovered the local tofu shop it would no doubt have never entered into my periphery. Fresh tofu in Japan is next level and I was soon a frequent visitor to this tiny shop. Becoming more comfortable with my limited shopping language ability, one day I mustered the courage to ask about the pulpy looking stuff that looked like cheese curds. This was called okara and was used to feed the pigs and old-timers. Not surprisingly, it was a bargain and if I didn’t care what the other shoppers thought about the strange gaijin (foreigner), I now had an affordable, nutritious and delicious staple to add to my diet. I cooked it like scrambled eggs. I sautéed seasonal vegetables, added okara and seasonings like soy sauce, mirin and toasted nori strips. Delicious. Lucky pigs, I thought.
But more okara is produced than there is demand so innovation followed and okara flour emerged as another edible option to keep the nutrition in food rather than in the landfill. The flour is made from okara that is dried and then ground. It is gluten-free, a plant based protein and has a high fiber content. Because it has a higher protein and fiber content than regular flour it can absorb more moisture and works well in moist baked goods like tea cakes and fudgy brownies. Try it for a gluten-free breading option, for bread making mixed with whole wheat flour or add it to pancakes to up the protein.
While okara flour might not appeal to everyone, reducing food waste might make a healthy revolution resolution for most everyone. |
2024: A Classic Year, Holiday Wishes from our TeamFrom Our Library, Harriet’s Book Pick: The Irish Bakery by Cherie Denham
In the preface to the The Irish Bakery, photographer Andrew Montgomery remarks, “The Irish currency of hospitality is something just baked that morning, presented to whoever has come to visit or stay as a matter of course.” Listening to the voices of the Irish women who continue the centuries old tradition of home baking (picture kitchens with Aga ovens), the reader can appreciate not only the quality of the ingredients, but their very local origin; gooseberries, world class butter and buttermilk, seaweeds, and Guinness.
The author, Cherie Denham stays on a conventional path covering breads, scones, traybakes, teatime, tarts and pies, cakes and puddings. All of the recipes are immensely appealing and enhanced by Montgomery’s exquisite photography. Well-known favorites like butter shortbread, Irish farmhouse loaves and sticky date pudding are included as well as some surprises like fifteens which are a Northern Irish sweet, slow-braised venison pie with crab apple jelly and a suet crust. Fifteens wasn’t the only word added to my food lexicon after reading The Irish Bakery; soda farls – “the Ulster Scots word for quarters”, blaas – “pillowy bread rolls with flour dusted tops,” and tea brack – a dried fruit loaf soon joined the list.
Interspersed between the recipes and photography are narratives featuring artisan food producers, farmers and cooks as well as an essay about Dehham’s mother, Esther Marshall, all told by Irish writer Kitty Corrigan. Interestingly, Marshall was too busy to cook, working full-time as a surgical nurse on the night shift during “the Troubles” which caused her four girls to learn to cook at any early age.
The Irish Bakery would be a lovely addition to any cookbook library and provides charming recipes for all skill levels.
From our Kitchen: Shrimp & GritsChef Rob Gonzalez ( & Momma Jules)
This recipe is actually my wife’s, and it’s become a family favorite for our kids—and most of their friends, too! The ultimate comfort food for a chilly January, it’s perfect for halftime during postseason Ravens games or any cozy night in.
Grits:
2 c water
2 c chicken stock
1 c old fashioned grits
1/3 c heavy cream
1 ½ – 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
Bring water and chicken stock to a boilSlowly stir in the grits and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and add 1/3 c heavy cream and 1 ½ to 2 c of grated cheddar cheese adding extra cream for looser consistency if needed.
Shrimp:
1 tsp. olive oil
2 T butter
3 Andouille sausage links, sliced
1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ c onion, chopped
½ c red bell pepper, chopped
½ c green bell pepper, chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh tomatoes
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ c white wine
Salt & pepper to taste
Parsley or green onions, chopped for garnish In large pan, melt butter and olive oil. Add sliced sausage and sear on both sides (2-3 minutes per side). Remove sausage from pan. Keep juices from the pan and set aside. Add onions and peppers to the pan. Keep juices from the pan and set aside. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Stir in tomatoes, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and salt and pepper.Season shrimp with Cajun seasonings. Push vegetables to edge of the skillet and add the shrimp. When the first side is opaque (1-2 minutes), flip and finish cooking for 1-2 minutes longer. Return sausage to the pan to heat through. Add lemon and white wine and cook for another 2-3 minutes.Assemble the grits on center of warm plate, top with shrimp mixture spooning the pan juices on top and garnish with green onions or parsley. |
