Welcome, Zach Ward!

I am originally from Long Island, New York. In an attempt to cut down on student loan debt, I went to college locally at Stony Brook University, where I studied Modernist Literature and American History. I put myself through college by working in restaurants, delis, and cafes. After school, I continued working in the restaurant business and held just about every position one can hold at a restaurant – Dishwasher, Bartender, Chef, General Manager – you name it and I’ve probably done it. My wife and I relocated to Boston in 2019, and I jumped over to working as a Sales Rep for a high-end Belgian import brewery, where I worked through the pandemic until I joined the Lovin’ Spoonfuls team in Spring 2022.

Working in restaurants, I witnessed, firsthand, the tremendous amount of food waste that occurs within our [food] system. I understood the importance of reducing it on a personal scale, but knew that my impact was limited. When I stopped and thought about the fact that every restaurant and every grocery store was probably experiencing the same level of food waste, it was mind-boggling. I volunteered for a food rescue organization in college and always did my best to reduce and donate as much food as I could to local food banks in my community.

I love to cook, and I love sharing my love for food and drink pairings with friends and family. Being an FRC helps me to connect with my community and bring my passion for food to work every day. I am always exchanging recipe ideas with our partners and talking about what they’re cooking that night!

Yes! I’ve cooked professionally, but – even before that – I was passionate about food and playing around with different flavors in my kitchen. My wife, Anna, always requests my Lemon Orzo Dill Chicken Soup when she’s sick – but I also honed my home pizza craft during quarantine in 2020. I make a mean cast iron pie with hot Italian sausage, shallots, and honey!

My fridge always has a tub of Grillo’s Pickles’ Hot Dill Pickle Spears, a few cans or bottles of a seasonally appropriate import/craft beer (we are firmly in saison and pilsner weather now!), and some wilted kale, chard, and collard greens that I’m about to play “Chopped” home edition with for dinner.

Every year around the holidays, my mom and grandma would always have a cookie baking extravaganza! Probably my earliest memory in the kitchen.

So, I’m not big on heroes, but an author who’s always inspired me is Ursula K. LeGuin. She wrote science fiction, but used the distance that genre grants an author to talk about real and important issues that our society is still grappling with today.