Cecilia Garcia, 34, half owner of
Old Town’s
Mama Bear’s Cafe,
sits with her recycled
green glass trophy, noting its appropriateness. She’s just received it from the Tri-County Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP).
The award recognizes not only her aluminum, glass and plastic recycling
, but also her efforts to live the restaurant’s slogan: A Conscious
Café.
Drop by Mama Bear’s and she’s rarely visible. She’s in the kitchen or
in the back room, spending 10 to 15 hours a week trying to find ways to
be more green.
It’s what drove her into this business in the first
place, says Garcia, who worked in the fine dining business throughout the Capital region for years.
“It’s one of the largest culprits of environmental pollution,” she says.
When her friend, Eugene Hall, owner of Lansing’s Top Flight Moving and
Storage, approached her about creating a different kind of restaurant
that would be a steward of the environment, she grabbed the
opportunity. He financed the project and gave her half ownership; she,
in turn, runs the business.
Predicated on the premise two years ago that it would serve only
organic foods grown within a 100-mile radius, the restaurant has met
numerous challenges, much through trial and error.
She’s discovered area “artisan suppliers and growers,” those with small
farms, such as the Green Eagle Organic Farm in Onandaga, that carry
exotics such as blue and pink potatoes, white strawberries and 10
varieties of heirloom tomatoes. She shops regularly at local farm
markets.
Being green requires a broad vision. Most of the restaurant’s furniture
and equipment is recycled. The mismatched dishes are from the
Volunteers of America. And she even helps the community recycle books,
hosting a weekly exchange.
Source: Cecilia Garcia, Mama Bear’s Restaurant
Gretchen Cochran, Innovation & Jobs editor, may be reached
here.
All Photographs ©
Dave Trumpie
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