Mahidol University International College’s (MUIC) Innovative Design Cooking Club held an innovative cooking workshop entitled, “From Charm (Charisma) to Charm (Dish)” with the theme “Sustainable Plant-based Eating: Minimizing Food Waste and Eco-conscious Cooking” in cooperation with Tonklar Fasai Restaurant.

There were 20 MUIC students who attended the workshop held on May 8, 2024 at the restaurant’s outlet inside the Salaya campus where they learned how to easily cook using ingredients that are usually discarded and thus minimize food waste.

Every year, there are about 1.3 billion metric tons of food waste generated globally, and up to 10% of greenhouse gasses come from food that is produced, discarded, or not eaten. The chef of Tonklar Fasai Restaurant taught students how to reduce food waste by using ingredients that are not usually eaten, for instance, overripe bananas, in making “red velvet banana beetroot steamed cake,” a dish that proved to be delicious.

By letting students participate in these activities, they learned to enhance their skills in cooking, gain knowledge, and become more aware about how food waste can be used and adapted to our diet. Not only does this menu use Thai local ingredients, it also proved to be fun, flavorful, friendly to the environment, and empowers and sustains Thai soft power.