Collaboration (versus competition) is the sustainable way forward.
Creation of the SFP Certificate program is clear evidence of that. The process began when two ‘friendly rivals’ in the sustainable foodservice sector (a true niche market, sadly) were teamed up for a special pavilion at the RC Show in 2019.
Over an after-show beverage, they discovered alignment in their drawing-board projects – an online course in sustainable foodservice – and an ideal opportunity for collaboration. Details were sorted, development began and SFP Sustainability Training Ltd, a BC benefit company, was co-founded in 2020.
LEAF is the national Canadian leader in sustainable foodservice standards. We provide environmentally conscious knowledge, sustainable tools, and in-person support that ensure the success of each business we work with.
Through the LEAF certification process we help reduce environmental impact by targeting energy, water, and waste reduction. We promote community partnerships and farm-to-table concepts, while also increasing awareness and support of green restaurants across Canada.
LEAF was officially launched in Calgary in 2010 with River Café becoming the first LEAF Certified restaurant. Since then LEAF has worked with over 100 restaurants from coast-to-coast.
André LaRivière
Principal, SFP Sustainability Training Ltd.
After a career in public broadcasting, André traded his ‘passionate amateur’ status for that of professional chef at New York City’s French Culinary Institute. He later combined his experience to explore the Canadian restaurant industry for trade and consumer magazines. In 2007, André founded the Green Table Network, a not-for-profit enterprise fostering sustainability with more than 100 members around B.C. In 2012, he helped facilitate the fully sustainable renovation of O’Doul’s on Robson into the award-winning Forage restaurant, which inspired him to create The Next Course and later the SFP program.
Since its inception in Paris over 250 years ago, the restaurant has been a welcome, essential element of city life. With urban regions rapidly growing around the globe, today’s restaurants will play an increasingly vital role in sustaining communities. And as with other modern necessities, the restaurant’s standard business model would benefit from some timely innovation. On the heels of the Forage renovation, André explored the possibilities with noted chefs and restaurateurs, suppliers and city planners in The Next Course: Reinventing the Modern Urban Restaurant (Mise-en-Page Press, 2018) aimed at helping his industry colleagues ‘future-proof’ their foodservice operations. The book also became the framework for the SFP Certificate Program.