Jeni's Table with Pete Duff of Fare & Just Kitchen

There is nothing more critical than our health, and nothing more scarce than our time. That has become the conundrum as we have slowly become the unhealthiest country in the world – with fewer people cooking, the microwave as the number one cooking device, and through our reliance on prepared food – often high in fat, salt, sugar, preservatives, and highly processed ingredients. All of this has been made even worse by the rising cost of food, and the shocking amount of food waste, some of which occurs when we don’t know what to do with “what’s left” after trying to follow a recipe. Here we’ll highlight a recipe from one of our local chefs. We’ll purchase what we need to create that dish and then I’ll create an additional recipe (or two) you can make with the ingredients you have left, plus a few things you likely have in your house already! This is an investment in us! So let’s get cooking!

Let me introduce you to Peter Duff, the brilliant chef behind Fare & Just Kitchen. Peter went to Johnson & Wales, roasted coffee for twelve years, and worked as a line chef for The Beacon Room in Orleans for another seven years. He became dairy-free due to a significant lactose intolerance that he has dealt with his whole life, but nine years ago he became vegan because he “loves animals too much to eat them”. He opened Fare & Just Kitchen, one of the few vegan and gluten-free “grab and go” spots on Cape Cod, almost five years ago in Brewster. Like many small restaurants, he had immensely loyal followers, but struggled with issues with his lease, staffing needs, increased food costs, and the constant grind. Earlier this year, he made the difficult decision to close Fare & Just. That could have been the end of the story, but instead, an interesting opportunity arose for Pete to join our team at the Family Table Collaborative. He could maintain his brand, and share his incredible plant-based creativity with the masses. His ability to blend flavors continues to wow people’s taste buds. I’m fond of saying that “Pete may not be able to convince everyone to be vegan, but he can certainly make everyone enjoy vegan meals!” When I asked him what made joining FTC appealing, he was clear, “At this point in my career, I want to do something that matters. I was born and raised on Cape Cod. I want to create impact with my food and for my community… and no organization does that better than the Family Table Collaborative. I completely share Jeni’s belief that real food, healthy food, should be a basic human right.” His presence at FTC is invaluable and you can find his food in the Weekend Market, each Saturday and Sunday from 11am-2pm at FTC, located at 1338 MA-28, South Yarmouth (in the former Riverway Lobsterhouse). Pete also heads FTC’s non-profit catering arm, which is a great way to help support our mission of increasing nutritional security on Cape Cod.

Jeni Wheeler is the Director, Co-Founder, and Creative Mind behind the Family Table Collaborative in South Yarmouth, MA, as well as the Owner of Jeni’s Joy, a boutique catering/private chef company that addresses allergens and food sensitivities. She is passionate about providing nutritious, delicious meals to anyone who needs a “little extra love”, while working to improve the way society addresses nutritional security, through innovation and creative partnerships, which reduce waste and increase sustainability. Her beliefs that access to healthy, real food should be a basic human right and that creating sustainable change is possible are at the core of the philosophy behind how and why she built FTC. Jeni has her MBA from Babson, with a focus in Social Entrepreneurship, and is a proud member of the World Central Kitchen Chef Corps. familytablecollaborative.org