GMIC Chicago Member Blue Plate Catering Certified by Green Restaurant Association

Blue Plate Certified by Green Restaurant Association

Premier food solutions company becomes Chicago’s first and only green caterer

CHICAGO, Ill. (December 15, 2011) – Blue Plate, one of Chicago's most successful and trusted catering and food solutions companies (www.blueplatechicago.com), has been certified by the Green Restaurant Association as Chicago’s first and only green certified caterer. To obtain the green certification, Blue Plate had to meet strict requirements set forth by the Green Restaurant Association in the following categories: water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, sustainable furnishings and building materials, sustainable food and chemical and pollution reduction.

"At Blue Plate, we strive every day to minimize our impact on the environment through our catering practices,” said Nancy Wright, President of Blue Plate. "We are honored to be Chicago’s first and only green certified caterer and are committed to continually learning, changing and growing our sustainable knowledge and initiatives.”

Environmentally-friendly practices that Blue Plate engages in on a regular basis include composting leftover food and food scraps produced during prep, recycling various materials including cooking oil, which is turned into biodiesel in Chicago, using Green Seal cleaning supplies, paper products and hand soaps, providing reusable dishware for staff meals and using Energy Star appliances and electronics and low flow faucets and spray valves.

Along with being Chicago’s only green certified caterer, the Green Chicago Restaurant Coalition, an organization that focuses on helping hospitality establishments in Chicago reduce their impact on the environment, Blue Plate will receive the coveted title of "Guaranteed Green,” which enables Chicago diners to identify and support restaurants that have achieved a high level of environmental responsibility through an easy to spot spouting fork sticker featured at all guaranteed green restaurants and caterers.

"We started our program a few years ago and by receiving this certification now, I feel we have established a level of legitimacy which gives us the momentum to keep moving forward and marking new milestones,” said Laura Lukas, Blue Plate’s Sustainability Coordinator.

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ABOUT BLUE PLATE | Whether it's an intimate gathering for friends or a gala for ten thousand, Blue Plate can help you do it—with style. Blue Plate opened its first kitchen in 1983. Today, Blue Plate ranks among the top hospitality companies in Chicago. Offering boutique-style catering services to corporate, nonprofit, social and cultural institutions, Blue Plate retains preferred status at more than 85 venues, and has earned national recognition for its standards of service and creativity, including the 2010 "Best Caterer” award from the Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence.