Inside Staff Meal at Bell Book & Candle: Spot-on Sustainability

John Mooney is a chef who knows a thing or two about sustainability (he wasn’t crowned our 2011 New York City Sustainability Chef for nothing). Along with produce from his hydroponic rooftop gardens, Mooney packs his creative menu at Bell Book & Candle with local and sustainable proteins, often brought in whole hog (quite literally in the case of his Berkshire pigs).

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Nothing is more sustainable than the clean-out-the-cupboards mentality of staff meal at this West Village restaurant. The meal comes together “on the fly” after Mooney scours the line for surplus and prep from the night before. Pork butt from butchering those Berkshires ends up in stir fry, fish trim is added to winter stews, and—on lucky afternoons—the staff shares the few pieces of fried chicken leftover from the regular Monday night special. The dessert station is another continuous source of extras, complete with a sugar high. “No one complains about scraps of brownies, cookies, or bread pudding,” says Mooney.

That roof-top garden—60 vertical towers tended by Mooney, using skills he picked up working in restaurants in Orlando and India—helps make these staff meals even more soul-satisfying. His small staff crowds around the kitchen-side chef’s table to dine together, munching on chicory and baby arugula salads. While the vegetarians on staff appreciate the guaranteed meat-free option the garden provides, this in-house grocer also helps keep staff meals substantial and nutritious for the entire crew. “We have surplus from the roof, loads of great vegetables that normally you wouldn’t see in staff meal,” says Mooney. “Lettuces and herbs—normally you would be selling that stuff, but we use it for staff.” Whether it’s tomato soup topped with fresh basil or the weekly roasted chicken with garden herbs, Mooney’s green thumb keeps the bellies at Bell Book & Candle’s happy and full.