Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/748197
176 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 6 to inspire people to pick up litter. From day one, Ted noticed bright, young kids like Lizza gravitating toward Passionfish. "How we groom our crew is important to us," he says. That's because they never want to be accused of talking the talk while not walking the walk. So they set out making the restaurant itself more sustainable, installing more efficient lighting and refrigeration, launching water conservation measures and composting 95 percent of their food waste. "It's not all altruistic," he says. "It also makes sense financially." It's all part of the daily methodology inside Mon- terey County's first certified green restaurant. Obtaining that cer tification was surprisingly easy. Too easy, if you ask Cindy. "I had an idea what being green should be and I didn't think we'd qualify," she says. "I was appalled at the low standards. We had already been doing that. And stuff like on-demand hot water wasn't even required." So she called the county on it, and worked with them to raise the standards, making it a much more rigorous process for restaurants that wanted a green light. "Now you have to provide bicycle racks, for example, and a bus schedule posted for staff," she says. "It goes deep." It seems second nature to Cindy, who grew up happy but poor in Seaside with a family that raised worms, recycled before it was en vogue and never wasted a thing. Today she makes her own laundry soap, raises bees for honey and beeswax and enjoys life in Carmel Valley with Ted, their service-trained dog and too many cats to mention. Passionfish is still considered one of the Peninsula's finest restaurants and the Walters serve on several panels and committees, includ- ing the vaunted Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force that includes a veritable who's who of global culinary leaders. The bottom line is written on the website: "We believe there is an art to food, and an art to life, and that behind both is passion. That's why we created Passionfish." Passionfish is located at 701 Lighthouse Ave. in Pacif ic Grove. For more information, please visit www.passionfish.net or call 831/655-3311. Chef Ted with grandchildren Rhys, age 4, and Hayley, age 7, inside the Passionfish kitchen. The restaurant conserves water, utilizes energy efficient lighting and refrigeration, conserves water and composts almost all of their food waste.