One morning last fall at the restaurant HAGS in New York’s East Village, chef and co-owner Telly Justice was busy at the stove, toasting mushroom powder made from stems and trimmings. She then whisked in grits and a simmering broth, itself made from discarded summer squash scraps.
Justice spooned the cooked grits over a mousse featuring leftover truffle bits, then topped the plate with chestnut and maitake mushrooms grown nearby with help from the restaurant’s compost. Nearly every component of the dish incorporated ingredients that might…
