Winnow, the market-leader in AI-powered food waste management, announces today an exclusive partnership with zero-waste chef and pioneer Vojtech Végh. As Winnow’s new Zero Waste Culinary Advisor, Vojtech brings his expertise in helping chefs to reimagine food waste. The focus of the partnership will be on reducing trimmings waste—an often-overlooked opportunity in commercial kitchens.
“I’m thrilled to join Winnow as their new Zero Waste Culinary Advisor,” said Vojtech. “I’ve spent my career reimagining what’s possible with wasted ingredients. Winnow’s data shines a critical light on what ends up in the bin, and I see enormous potential in what we can achieve together.”
Vojtech’s background, which spans over a decade in top kitchens around the world—from Michelin-starred restaurants to founding the first zero-waste, plant-based restaurant, Surplus, in Cambodia—adds a powerful new layer to Winnow’s expertise. The chef currently provides food waste prevention workshops and masterclasses to kitchens around the world, working chef-to-chef to apply data led strategies to reduce waste and cost. His experience brings Winnow’s clients direct access to the knowledge of a professional chef who fully understands the intricacies of low-waste cooking and using data to drive results.
From Trash to Treasure
Winnow’s VisionAI uses computer vision to recognise and track food waste as it is thrown away. It tracks a kitchen’s full waste stream, covering overproduction, spoilage, plate waste, and trimmings to give chefs clear insights into where and why waste is happening. Total food cost savings from using the tool can be as high as 8%.
In many kitchens, trimmings waste (otherwise known as ‘cuttings’) flies under the radar, viewed as an unavoidable byproduct. However, Winnow’s data shows that over 40% of trimmings waste can be avoided, reducing food purchasing costs by 1-2.5%.
A Case Study in Tackling Trimmings
A pilot project for the partnership saw seven Red Carnation Hotels reduce total trimmings waste by 40% in just six months under the guidance of Vojtech’s expertise and using Winnow’s food waste tracking tools. Innovations now enjoyed by guests include watermelon skin chutney, pasta made from breadcrumbs, and fruit trimming cocktail syrups. Fruit trimmings are also used to make molasses, a substitute for the treacle that goes into a Red Carnation signature Irish soda bread.
Speaking of the partnership David Mac Donald, Head Chef at one Red Carnation property, said, “Our partnership with Winnow and Vojtech has not only allowed us to dramatically reduce our food waste, but challenged our attitude towards food. We’ve really enjoyed generating progressive ideas and recipes that provide an experience and a story to our guests — elevating our offering and their engagement.”
Expert Training and Insight
A key component of Winnow’s partnership with Vojtech will be the expert guidance provided to Winnow’s team and clients. Vojtech will personally train Winnow’s customer success team, enabling them to better support kitchens in unlocking the creative opportunity of cooking with trimmings. Clients will also benefit through tailored training materials and exclusive webinars led by Vojtech himself.
Winnow and Vojtech’s collaboration marks a significant step forward in transforming how kitchens approach food waste. By using Winnow’s real-time data and insights, paired with Vojtech’s culinary expertise, chefs can optimise their workflows, reduce waste, and ultimately unlock new creative opportunities.
Winnow founder Marc Zornes said of the partnership, “I’m struck by the creativity of chefs in Winnow’s community on a daily basis. Through our partnership with Vojtech, we aim to further fuel that creativity, combining our data with his culinary expertise to inspire, share knowledge, and support a movement of chefs who will lead us toward the kitchen of the future.”
