No Time for Chewing the Fat at Fairmont Pittsburgh

When it involves a cow, the chefs at the Fairmont Pittsburgh apparently do not like to waste anything. Led by Executive Chef Andrew Morrison, the chefs are converting cow fat, otherwise known as tallow, into soap. That's right, soap. They had found a use for every part of the cow except the tallow. Morrison and his team create the soap using a simple recipe of tallow, water, coconut oil, blended vegetable and olive oil, lye and natural aromatic oils. The tallow comes from a half cow that Morrison purchases each week from a local farm, Burns Angus Farm. “Our culinary team utilized every part of the cow except the fat, or tallow,” Morrison said. “We researched ways to use the fat and discovered some interesting soap recipes that actually call for tallow.”

The entire process takes about two weeks and is completed entirely in the hotel’s kitchens. The soap, available in a variety of scents, will be used as Fairmont Pittsburgh’s signature gift. According to an article in The Pittsburgh Tribune, the soap was handed out as gifts at the hotel's recent anniversary celebration. It may eventually be sold at the hotel's health club and spa. That something like this would happen at the Fairmont Pittsburgh should come as no surprise. Last August, the hotel announced that it had earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Last month the property participated in Earth Hour. For the hotel's restaurant, Habitat, Chef Morrison continually sources his meat, poultry, produce, eggs and other products from local farmers and vendors.

Are you as thrifty in your kitchen? What creative steps have you taken there to reduce waste? Please be sure to leave a comment.