September is the month that reminds us why awareness in the kitchen matters. It’s the time of year when the world reflects on food loss and waste — and looks for ways to do better. Every year, 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted, and potatoes are among the most discarded ingredients globally. Too sprouted, too blemished, too ordinary. But perhaps the problem isn’t the potato — it’s how we choose to see it.
At Refettorio Ambrosiano, we’ve seen what happens when ordinary ingredients meet care and creativity. In 2015, Chef Mauro Colagreco came to cook for a very special group: a room full of schoolchildren. From the ingredients delivered that day — potatoes, eggs, goat cheese — he created something unexpected: a warm, delicate potato nest with a poached egg at the center. A dish made from simple things, designed to make someone smile.
When the children saw their plates, they paused. The nests looked too perfect to touch. Then one child broke the egg, the yolk spilled across the plate, and the table burst into laughter. The food became a game, a surprise, a shared moment of joy.
As Mauro once said: “The Italian kitchen has always been about being able to cook with everyday products. Make do with what you have.”
That day, the team prepared over 600 ravioli, 160 potato nests with poached eggs, and hundreds of meringues. But what stayed with us wasn’t how much they made — it was the spirit behind it.
So — Who do you think you are?
Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that hold the greatest surprises.
And what seems ordinary at first glance may carry more than we expect — just like a plate of potatoes did that day.
Warm regards,
Food for Soul
