Sustainable awards

Chef Chris Ivens-Brown of Compass Group in Charlotte is among 15 finalists for the 2011 Chefs Collaborative Sustainability Awards, to be awarded Oct. 24 in New Orleans during the third annual Chefs Collaborative National Summit. About 300 "sustainability-minded" chefs and food professionals are expected at the summit. The award recognizes chefs who have "played an exemplary role in changing the sustainable food landscape." Ivens-Brown is nominated in the "Sustainer" category (seeking a chef who is both "a great mentor" and "a model ... through his/her purchases of seasonal, sustainable ingredients and the transformation of these ingredients into delicious food." He's up against Mike Lata of FIG in Charleston; Frank Brigsten of Brigsten's in New Orleans; Michael Foust of the Farmhouse in Kansas City, Mo.; Sam Hayward of Fore Street in Portland, Maine; and Donald Miller, executive chef at the University of Notre Dame.
Other categories are Pathfinder (for visionaries/catalysts "beyond the kitchen") and Foodshed Champion (for producers noted for working with chefs and valuing a clean environment and sustainable production). More info: www.chefscollaborative.org.