Turning Food Loss into Fashion, with Terratela founder Natalia Burakowska (An Andrew Talks to Chefs Special Conversation)

A few years ago, while dining at Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana, Natalia Burakowska had a revelation: The fashion professional suddenly saw a path to helping to change the discussion around food loss and waste  by channeling her personal passion for environmental responsibility into a new clothing brand. The result, TerraTela (which means "Earth fabric"), launched earlier this year with a t-shirt made primarily from regenerative seaweed. On the United Nations' International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW), the brand releases its latest shirt, made from corn sugar, today, so we thought it would be the perfect time to share this conversation.Our thanks to Metro for their support. Visit their website today to learn more about how they can make your restaurant kitchen and office more efficient. Andrew’s next book The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food is now available for preorder! Please consider purchasing your copy/copies in advance and help the book have a great lift-off.Andrew Talks to Chefs is a fully independent podcast and no longer affiliated with our former host network; please visit and bookmark our official website for all show updates, blog posts, personal and virtual appearances, and related news.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:Andrew is a writer by trade. If you'd like to support him, there's no better way than by purchasing his most recent book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (October 2023), about all the key people (in the restaurant, on farms, in delivery trucks, etc.) whose stories and work come together in a single restaurant dish.We'd love if you followed us on Instagram. Please also follow Andrew's real-time journal of the travel, research, writing, and production of/for his next book The Opening (working title), which will track four restaurants in different parts of the U.S. from inception to launch.For Andrew's writing, dining, and personal adventures, follow along at his personal feed.Thank you for listening—please don't hesitate to reach out with any feedback and/or suggestions!