Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award 2022

Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award 2022

Mume

Taipei

Celebrating the bounty of Taiwan in all its forms

Although Mume has been a pioneer in the use of underrated Taiwanese ingredients since it opened in 2014, in the last couple of years the restaurant has really come into its own in terms of sustainability. Not satisfied with achieving a quota of 90% local ingredients on his menus and implementing a zero-waste philosophy, chef Richie Lin recently also co-founded the Chefs4Farmers non-profit. For its efforts in rewriting what it means to be a sustainable and ethical place to eat, Mume is recognised with the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award 2022.

Created by a trio of cooks formed of Hong Kong native Lin, Australian Kai Ward and Noma alumnus Long Xiong, Mume’s first mission was to apply modern European techniques to Taiwanese produce. Now solely in the hands of Lin since 2018, the restaurant is going beyond its mission to champion local and seasonal ingredients, with the chef and his team also encouraging others to celebrate and promote Taiwan’s bounty – from nearby restaurants and retail shops to their diners.

With a menu focusing on the country’s plentiful seafood options, Mume might serve the likes of eel with crêpe and Asian pear, or drunken abalone with lardo and coral mushroom. The fish heads, bones, tails and trimmings are used to make a stock that forms the basis for many other preparations. All tea, coffee, sugar and chocolate served at the restaurant are produced in Taiwan, with the Mume staff often touring the plantations to ensure and promote sustainable production methods.

From choosing the most energy-effective lightbulbs to coming up with creative systems to reuse water and banning individual plastic bags, the restaurant takes its commitment to the environment seriously. With clear food waste targets in place, each ingredient is used to the maximum: for instance, the skins of artichokes are used to make crispy chips, the stems of herbs to flavour the pickling vinegar, and the excess yam to make mochi.

With a strong staff-centric policy in place, Mume has enjoyed high staff retention rates and Lin is working towards implementing a 4.5-day working week for staff. In an effort to promote careers in hospitality, the restaurant also collaborates with Taiwan’s top university, National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism, regularly providing internship opportunities for students and careers upon graduation.

With the non-profit Chefs4Farmers, Lin became part of a movement to craft and promote recipes that make the most of local farmers’ seasonal produce, ensuring a fair price for the producers and reducing food waste. He was joined in the effort by international chefs such as Pim Techamuanvivit and Joshua Skenes.

A restaurant ahead of the curve in its commitment to zero waste and local ingredients, Mume is admired by other restaurants all over the region for its sustainable philosophy – and 2022 marks the year when its progressive ethos is recognised.

The Sustainable Restaurant Award is given to the restaurant with the highest environmental and social responsibility rating, as determined by audit partner the Sustainable Restaurant Association. All restaurants on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list are invited to enter the award via self-nomination and each is assessed across three main pillars: sourcing, society and environment.

Now read the interview with Mume's Richie Lin

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