Conservation Never Tasted So Good

A chef in Miami Beach, Florida is taking conservation in an unexpected direction. What’s on the menu? Invasive species. 

Bun Lai is a chef in Miami Beach. He operates an environmentally-friendly restaurant. Lai offers a selection of invasive-species dishes.

At a dinner last month, Mr. Lai served small bowls filled with citrus broth and those whelks, periwinkles and chitons tucked into a tangle of seaweed invasive to the Everglades. Alongside he poured sake infused with white pine needles, at once tart and sweet.

Island Conservation Science Invasive Food A plate of invasive species. By Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York Times

Lai serves these invasive-species dishes at Prey, a pop-up restaurant on Miami Beach. He originally began creating sustainable menus featuring invasive species in New Haven at his restaurant Miya’s. Lai’s work demonstrates a creative approach to a pervasive environmental issue. Perhaps Lai’s eco-friendly menus can become inspiration for others who have an appetite for sustainability.

Read the original article at the New York Times.

Feature photo: Barbara P. Fernandez for The New York Times

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