Events & Media | 18 Sep 2025
FOODCastS Episode 3: Chefs as catalysts of food systems’ (chefs’ series) with Anthony O'Toole
Chef Anthony O’Toole and his sustainable cooking through heritage varieties
5 
0Through Fat Tomato—an edible garden cultivating over 500 heritage varieties—Anthoney O’Toole is not just growing vegetables; he’s growing awareness about sustainable food systems and biodiversity.
The roots of this food passion
Unlike typical teenagers, Anthony was captivated by food programmes, watching culinary legends like Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver. By age 13, he was working in professional kitchens, setting the stage for a career bridging traditional farming wisdom with cutting-edge sustainability practices.
The “Fat Tomato” philosophy
Anthony describes Fat Tomato using three words: curiosity, biodiversity, and flavour:
Curiosity: Fat Tomato began in 2016 as a personal experiment. While visiting European food markets in Lisbon, Paris, and Rome, Anthony was amazed by the variety available—multiple types of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Returning to Ireland, he questioned why such diversity wasn’t available at home. This curiosity led him to grow different varieties of the same vegetables, discovering that heritage varieties offer natural resilience. When you grow five varieties of courgettes, at least one will thrive regardless of weather—an ‘insurance policy’ written in seeds.
Biodiversity: Heritage varieties, developed over generations, carry genetic diversity that helps them adapt to various conditions. For home gardeners, diversifying plantings increases harvest success compared to relying on single varieties.
Flavour: Most importantly, heritage varieties simply taste better. When grown in healthy soil without chemicals, the flavour improvement is remarkable—and nobody argues with deliciousness.
What growing food actually teaches
“Until you actually start growing your own food, you don’t realize the amount of time that goes into it,” Anthony explains.
⏳🌱 Time and patience (Garlic takes nine months to grow a single bulb. Understanding this transforms how you value that $3 farmers market garlic versus the 49¢ supermarket version.)
🥕✨ Imperfection (“When you pull out a carrot, it doesn’t matter the form and shape”)
♻️💡 Zero-waste innovation (Growing food naturally leads to zero-waste cooking. Anthony makes carrot-top pesto, amazing customers who discover carrot tops are not only edible but delicious)
Anthony’s signature recipe: versatile lentil salad 📝
Here’s Anthony’s adaptable recipe embodying his sustainable cooking philosophy:
Base Preparation🥣:
- 1 cup black lentils
- Water, good sea salt, 2-3 whole unpeeled garlic cloves
- Cook until tender, creating a flavourful base lasting a week in the fridge
Weekly Variations🔄:
- Roasted vegetables: Mix with thyme-honey carrots and parsnips, add rocket, finish with yogurt-tahini dressing
- Pan-fried kale and halloumi with green vinaigrette
- Barbecue version with grilled vegetables and pesto
- Protein addition: Serve with organic chicken or sustainable fish
Pro Tips✔️:
- Always season cooking water like pasta—this infuses flavour into legumes
- Use sea salt, not table salt, for better minerals and taste
- Add aromatics (garlic, onion, bay leaves) to create natural stock
🎧Ready to listen? Tune in to Episode 3 of FOODCastS here.👇
Speakers of this show
- Anthony O’Toole, food activist who founded Fat Tomato, an edible garden cultivating over 500 heritage varieties. Anthony’s work bridges traditional culinary expertise with cutting-edge sustainability practices
- Florentin Ndizeye is the collaborative projects manager at EUFIC and is the host of this podcast episode.
