The first-ever “WASTED: A Celebration of Sustainable Food” event took place on Sunday, October 14 in San Diego, California. In this unique competition, dozens of chefs and mixologists put their creativity and innovation to the test by competing in three categories using food that would typically be discarded.

Money from the event, including tickets and auction items, supported Kitchens for Good – a non-profit organization in San Diego that tackles issues of food waste, poverty, and hunger. Each chef was paired with a culinary student from Kitchens for Good.

Ryan Van Voorhis and Seth Bradley from Chicago won the Savory Event, Thiago Silva of Boston won the Pastry Competition, and San Diego’s Christian Siglin was named Top Mixologist. The winners were determined by attendees voting on their favorite dishes in each category.

“The creativity of all of the chefs and mixologists was so inspiring,” said celebrity chef and WASTED emcee Elizabeth Falkner. “The movement of eliminating food waste and focusing on sustainability is gaining tremendous momentum and events like this will help bring it to the forefront.”

The event was able to generate approximately $48,000 for Kitchens for Good, in addition to a $25,000 grant from Chef Works, a global leader in culinary and hospitality apparel.

“When we first heard about Kitchens for Good and what they stand for, we knew we needed to be involved,” said Cynthia McCormick of Chef Works, who oversees the Chef Works Cares charitable program. “Food sustainability and eliminating waste is not just a corporate responsibility, it’s a corporate obligation. We take it very seriously and we’re honored to put our name alongside Kitchens for Good.”