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Alan Someck
President
Keystone Hospitality Solutions, Director of the Green Hospitality Initiative
January 23, 2011

It seems as though everyone's going green these days, including restaurants.  While the tasty presence of locally sourced ingredients may appear obvious to the consumer - the proof is often printed plainly on the menu - there's another greening going on behind-the-scenes in NYC restaurants.  And Alan is the man behind it all.  With more then two decades of hospitality experience, he's using his knowledge and expertise to identify less obvious ways for restaurants to run more efficiently.  Waste removal, energy efficiency, and water conservation might not be as glamorous as heirloom potatoes, but the compounding effects of his design solutions are saving significant funds for restaurants.

Editor's note: the Green Hospitality Initiative is offering a free training on practical and cost efficient ways to save energy and water usage and cut back on hazardous chemicals while increasing a restaurant's bottom line.  If you're interested in attending on Thursday, January 27th, click here for details.


What attracted you to a good food job?

The Green Hospitality Initiative developed from connecting my 25 years of experience as a restaurant operator and consultant with a socially responsible trend that I saw getting stronger.  I saw that many restaurants wanted to do the right thing around greening.  They just didn't know enough and how to go about it.  They were consumed with surviving in their business.  The Initiative is a catalyst to provide the knowledge and the methods for restauranteurs to begin taking green steps.  It was also clear that customers were beginning to expect restaurants to do more in the area of greening.

How did you get your current good food job?

The job came about out of a grant I wrote to the EPA who had a focus of working with the hospitality industry in reducing water and energy consumption as well as helping eliminate hazardous chemical used  in the industry.

How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?

My previous experience as an operator and consultant was very helpful because I understood the process of how restaurateurs change.  Having good ideas is never enough.  You need to create trusting relationships and a simple process.  Just filling out the paperwork for a Con Edison rebate for more efficient light bulbs is enough to turn off most operators - so we do it for them.

What advice do you have for others in search of a good food job?

Find something that gets you excited.  This business is hard enough and if your heart isn't in it, that makes it that much tougher.  Also in real estate they say its location, location, location.  In this industry today its networking, networking, networking.  Create relationships and go on an adventure to see what's out there.

If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?

Brick Oven Pizza from Numero 28.

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