The San Francisco Restaurant Taking A New Approach To Pizza Toppings
Go up to any random person and ask them what comes to mind when they think of pizza toppings. You'll probably get a lot of pepperonis, peppers, sausages, and maybe even a suggestion of pineapple from those on the fringe. What you probably won't get are descriptions of wilted vegetables, chicken gizzards, and the leftovers that you'd expect to find in a compost heap rather than on a pizza.
In San Francisco, the term garbage pie takes on a whole new meaning. While garbage pizza refers to a pizza with everything on it (via Food.com), Shuggie's Trash Pie takes it a step further by using actual "waste" in their products. Shuggie's doesn't use actual garbage, according to Eater, but instead prepares their pizzas with foods that would have usually been thrown out or ignored in favor of more "presentable" ingredients. This can include a pizza dough made from leftover whey, meat made from pig trotters, hearts, and other types of offal, and smoothies made from bruised or damaged fruit. The restaurant even sells "natural wine" you can enjoy alongside your "trash" pizza.
But what exactly is the purpose of making pizzas and smoothies from leftover produce and meat? Is it a statement against food waste, or is it some sort of San Francisco art piece on sustainability? Is the food even good at all?
Shuggie's is a colorful concept in an even more colorful place
7x7's Shoshi Parks describes Shuggie's Trash Pie and Natural Wine as follows: "food-waste-fighting phenom set to the tune of over-the-top, truck-driver-meets-drag-queen decor." Parks continues that, although one may expect Shuggie's to be "riding the climate change wave" in an attempt to cash in on climate change and sustainability scares, the food at Shuggie's is actually really good. Parks ate garlic knots made from leftover pizza dough, bycatch fish and tempura smothered in sweet-and-savory sauce, and a pizza made with salt cod, potatoes, and eggs.
SFist's report on Shuggie's details the weird and colorful interior, from a yellow-themed "Cheetah Room" where guests can sit on a lip-shaped couch under a mural of a pop-art/urban graffiti-styled cheetah to appetizers served in a bowl that's shaped like human buttocks. Commenters on SFist, however, were less impressed with the concept.
"Yuck," was the blunt response to one reviewer by the name of Lois Furlo.
"An unappealing environment to match unappealing food." sneered "Koba." "What could possibly go wrong?"
If you aren't a fan of leftover produce and offal on pizza, but still respect Shuggie's methods for reducing food waste, you can work on reducing waste in your own home by following these simple tips.