In most households, “leftovers” is a dirty word. But to professional chefs, it’s anything but.
Charlie Trotter is well-known for his aversion to waste in the kitchen, so it’s no surprise it’s also a pet peeve of Matthias Merges, who put in 15-plus years at Trotter’s restaurant before opening up Yusho, 2853 N. Kedzie.
“Creativity lies in the ability to use scraps and elevate them into something delicious and interesting,” says Merges, who finds ways to use everything from chicken cartilage and salmon skin to roots of herb plants and even the rinse water from rice at his Avondale restaurant. “It helps in the cost of running a business and it’s respect for the product,” he says. “That speaks louder than just the food.”