Did you know that up to 40% of the food supply in the U.S. is wasted, and up to 21% of Tennessee landfills are made up of wasted food. Locally, restaurants are second only to households in their generation of food waste in Memphis. As a program of Clean Memphis, Project Green Fork (PGF) contributes to a more sustainable Mid-South by helping local restaurants reduce their environmental impact.

Ali Manning and Leann Edwards join me for episode 270 to discuss their mission of eliminating food waste via the 901 Save the Food Challenge.  During this challenge, local restaurants collaborate with the organization on best practices and new strategies for updating their food waste management.

ALI MANNING & LEANN EDWARDS " PROJECT GREEN FORK" | EPISODE 270

Ali Manning is a food scientist, author, and the CEO/Founder of Umami Food Consulting, LLC. She is the creator of Food Science 4 Kids, a program that teaches grade-school children food
science education and allows them to perform hands-on activities that enrich their daily lives. Ali is also the Program Consultant with Project Green Fork (a local restaurant sustainability program) within the Clean Memphis organization, which provides resources and support to help “food-prenuers” reduce waste in all areas of their operations.

Ali recently premiered as a competitor on Netflix's latest show, Snack vs. Chef, and is a 2023 Comcast Rise grant recipient. She published her first children's book, "Can I Play with My
Food?" in February 2022, inspired by her sister Alexis who has Down’s Syndrome. Ali is a graduate of Alabama A&M University and a Huntsville, AL native, but after being a transplant for
nearly 14 years, she considers Memphis her home. She is married to her husband, Brian Manning, and they live with their puppy, Kobe-Williams-Manning (named after their favorite athletes). Ali spends her time cultivating a life of joy through serving her community, skating with friends, styling clients, and creating content that inspires others to "Seize the Day"!

New tracks tagged #projectgreenfork