In Portland’s vibrant culinary landscape, pastry innovator Marjorie Banks has garnered acclaim for transforming traditional notions of pastry at her restaurant Crust & Crumb. But beyond her technical innovations—like vegetable-infused laminated doughs and savory mille-feuilles—lies a deeper philosophy that’s quietly revolutionizing restaurant sustainability practices.
From Garden to Kitchen: The Power of Direct Sourcing
On a misty Tuesday morning, Banks can be found at her half-acre garden plot on Portland’s eastern edge, carefully inspecting rows of heirloom root vegetables. This isn’t a hobby separate from her culinary work—it’s an integral part of her restaurant’s sustainability model.
“Growing even a portion of our ingredients fundamentally changes your relationship with food,” Banks explains, gently unearthing a purple carrot. “When you’ve watched something grow from seed, you develop a reverence for it that makes waste unthinkable.”
This reverence manifests in Crust & Crumb’s innovative menu, where Banks has developed techniques specifically designed to utilize entire vegetables. Her signature root-weave tartlets incorporate vegetables that might otherwise be discarded—the oddly shaped, imperfect specimens that traditional restaurants might reject.
“Commercial kitchens typically demand uniform ingredients,” she notes. “But nature doesn’t work that way. By adapting our techniques to embrace irregularity, we’ve eliminated a major source of waste.”
Building Sustainable Partnerships with Local Farmers
While Banks’ personal garden supplies some specialty items, the restaurant’s primary ingredients come from a network of local farmers within a 50-mile radius of Portland. These aren’t casual relationships—they’re carefully cultivated partnerships that have transformed both the restaurant’s supply chain and the farmers’ planting decisions.
“We work backwards from most restaurants,” explains Banks. “Rather than creating a menu and then sourcing ingredients, we ask our farmers what they’re growing and what they need help moving. Then we design dishes around those ingredients.”
This approach has created economic stability for small-scale producers like Sarah Winterson of Willamette Valley Organics. “Before working with Marjorie, we struggled with surplus crops,” Winterson shares. “Now we plan collaboratively. She’ll commit to taking our entire carrot harvest if we grow specific heirloom varieties she wants to feature. That kind of security is rare in farming.”
Banks has formalized this relationship-based sourcing through quarterly planning sessions with her farmer network. These meetings aren’t just about ordering—they’re collaborative discussions about crop rotation, soil health, and long-term agricultural sustainability.
“Restaurants typically think about sustainability in terms of their own operations,” Banks observes. “But true sustainability means considering your impact throughout the entire supply chain. That includes supporting farming practices that regenerate rather than deplete soil.”
Rethinking Waste Through Creative Pastry Applications
The restaurant industry’s waste problem is well-documented, with the USDA estimating that 30-40% of the food supply becomes waste. At Crust & Crumb, Banks has systematically addressed this issue through creative pastry applications that transform potential waste into culinary innovation.
Consider the restaurant’s acclaimed “Second Life Seasonings”—dehydrated powders made from vegetable trimmings and peels that would traditionally be discarded. These intensely flavored powders are incorporated into pastry doughs, creating vibrant colors and complex flavors while eliminating waste.
“The pastry medium is uniquely suited for waste reduction,” Banks explains. “Laminated doughs can incorporate vegetable pulp left over from juicing. Tart shells can be flavored with herb stems that might otherwise be thrown away. These aren’t compromises—they actually enhance the final product.”
This philosophy extends to the restaurant’s water usage practices. Banks implemented a multi-stage water recycling system where water used for washing vegetables is captured and repurposed for the restaurant’s small herb garden. Even the condensation from refrigeration units is collected and repurposed.
“Restaurant sustainability isn’t just about food waste,” Banks emphasizes. “It’s about examining every resource that flows through your operation and asking if it could be used more efficiently.”
Education as a Sustainability Strategy
Perhaps most significantly, Banks views education as a crucial component of her sustainability mission. Through her “Foundations to Flight” teaching program, she’s training the next generation of chefs to prioritize sustainability alongside culinary excellence.
“Technical skill without ecological awareness is increasingly irrelevant in today’s culinary landscape,” Banks asserts. “We need chefs who understand not just how to create beautiful food, but how that food impacts our planet.”
Her teaching methodology includes requiring students to participate in composting, garden maintenance, and waste audits alongside their culinary training. This holistic approach ensures that sustainability becomes ingrained in their professional practice rather than treated as an afterthought.
“The most unsustainable aspect of many restaurants is treating knowledge as something to be hoarded rather than shared,” Banks reflects. “By teaching others our methods, we multiply our impact beyond what a single restaurant could achieve.”
Measuring Impact Beyond Marketing
Unlike many restaurants that use sustainability primarily as a marketing tool, Crust & Crumb implements rigorous measurement of their environmental impact. The restaurant conducts monthly waste audits, tracks water usage, and calculates the carbon footprint of their supply chain.
“Without measurement, sustainability claims are just good intentions,” Banks states. “We need to hold ourselves accountable with actual data.”
This commitment to measurement has revealed surprising insights. For instance, after implementing their comprehensive waste reduction program, the restaurant discovered that their single largest source of remaining waste was paper towels from hand washing. This led Banks to install energy-efficient hand dryers throughout the kitchen and dining areas.
“Sustainability isn’t a destination—it’s an ongoing process of examination and improvement,” she emphasizes. “Each audit reveals new opportunities.”
The Business Case for Sustainability
Banks is quick to challenge the notion that sustainability practices necessarily increase costs. “When done thoughtfully, sustainability measures often reduce expenses,” she explains. “Using entire vegetables means extracting more value from each purchase. Designing menus around what farmers need to move often means getting premium ingredients at lower prices.”
This economic aspect is particularly important for Banks, who is committed to making creative cuisine accessible beyond elite dining establishments. By demonstrating that sustainability can be economically viable, she hopes to inspire similar practices across diverse restaurant segments.
“The most sustainable restaurant is one that can financially sustain itself while minimizing environmental impact,” Banks observes. “Those goals aren’t contradictory—they’re complementary when you approach them creatively.”
As the culinary world continues grappling with its environmental impact, Banks’ integrated approach offers a compelling model. By viewing sustainability not as an isolated initiative but as a fundamental philosophy woven throughout every aspect of restaurant operations—from sourcing to waste management to education—she demonstrates how culinary innovation and environmental responsibility can mutually reinforce each other.
“Ultimately,” Banks reflects, “sustainability in restaurants comes down to relationship—with farmers, with ingredients, with the natural systems that make our work possible. When we strengthen those relationships rather than exploiting them, we create something that can truly endure.”