People of Spoonfuls: Allie Wainer, Sid Wainer & Son – A Chefs’ Warehouse Company
Welcome back to “People of Spoonfuls,” where we introduce you to the many people who help make our food recovery work possible!
Today, we introduce you to one of our food donors: Sid Wainer & Son in New Bedford. Sid Wainer has been a key food donor partner in our Southeastern Massachusetts region, helping us to supply fresh produce, dairy, meat and more to local community food programs. We recently caught up with Regional Vice President of New England, Allie Wainer, about her work and Sid Wainer & Son’s partnership with Spoonfuls.
Tell us a bit about Sid Wainer & Son.
Sid Wainer & Son is a fourth-generation, family-founded produce company that started in 1914. We serve restaurants throughout New England, along with hotels, caterers, and other food service institutions. Since joining The Chefs’ Warehouse in 2020, we’ve expanded our delivery offerings to include produce, proteins, specialty items, and dairy – essentially anything a chef might need to run their kitchen.
What does your day-to-day look like as the Regional Vice President of New England?
My day-to-day work is variable. It often includes meeting with chefs, connecting with our distribution team to ensure we’re serving customers effectively, and collaborating with vendors to ensure we’re sourcing unique, specialty ingredients. At the center of all of my to-dos is working to stay immersed in the restaurant and food service industry by sourcing quality ingredients and making sure we get them to chefs in the best way possible.
Spoonfuls expanded to serve Southeast Massachusetts this past fall, which jump-started our partnership recovering food from Sid Wainer & Son. Why did Sid Wainer & Son choose to partner with Spoonfuls?
Having been a presence in the New Bedford community for over 100 years and being such a significant part of the food supply chain, Sid Wainer & Son wants to make sure that everything that we source gets into the hands of someone who can eat it. We know what happens from seed to plate, and just how much work, craft, and dedication go into the creation of food. It’s really important to us that none of that investment goes to waste.
I’ve known about Spoonfuls through my relationship with Ashley Stanley, Spoonfuls’ Founder & CEO, whom I’ve known for over 15 years, from working in the restaurant industry. I’ve come to admire the deep partnerships that Spoonfuls has with the businesses and community organizations they partner with, and how they work adaptively to move fresh, quality food that would otherwise be wasted to people who need it. Spoonfuls closes the gap between food and where it can be best used, simply.
What type of food does Spoonfuls recover from Sid Wainer & Son?
Spoonfuls picks up apples, strawberries, cheese, other dairy products, crackers – anything we have that may not be pristine quality for our customers but are still high-quality items. They may have a little blemish or are closer-dated than we would prefer to sell to a customer, but it’s still nearly perfect product.
What has been an “aha” moment for you about food recovery since partnering with Spoonfuls?
Spoonfuls provides us with impact reports on how many people benefit from the food Sid Wainer & Son donates. That’s been huge. We move over 20,000 cases of food a night, and we don’t always get to see the end recipient or know how many people get to eat the food we share. Spoonfuls has connected those dots for us and illuminated the impact of our donated food.
What’s something you think might surprise people about food access?
I think a lot of people don’t understand just how many people experience food insecurity. In the New Bedford community, where we’re located, over 47% of the community is food insecure. That is a substantial number. The more I get involved with food recovery thanks to Spoonfuls and the other organizations we work with through Spoonfuls, the more I realize the amount of need in our community. For Sid Wainer & Son to make a small, if not a large, impact on food insecurity in our community, aligns with the passion for food and feeding people that our business is built on.
What’s your favorite way to reduce food waste in your personal life?
I call my favorite way to reduce food waste a “dead banana bowl.” I have toddlers at home, and every week, they don’t finish the bananas I give them. The excess goes into a bowl, and at the end of the week, I make banana bread with it!
