Chef Camari Mick's Fried Plantain Panna Cotta. (Image: Mill)

It’s the shortest of all New York “restaurant weeks” but it is one of the most important.

Running from Sept. 30 through Oct. 6, the inaugural Make Food, Not Waste Restaurant Week will be showcased by some of the city’s most sought-after tables, including Bar Contra, Corima, Le Crocodile, The Musket Room, and Rezdôra. All will be teaming with Mill, an award-winning food recycling system, to promote public awareness of the scourge of food waste and to devise solutions.

Participating chefs will be tasked with producing zero food waste during the week, as well as creating a special dish on their menus that embodies their perspective on no-waste cooking. The Musket Room’s Camari Mick rose to the challenge by crafting a caramel out of plantain peel to complement his fried plantain panna cotta.

How serious is the food waste problem? Consider that food is the single largest item in landfills. Many restaurants have adopted the practice of composting. You can do your share by learning about curbside composting, a service that will become available to all Manhattan residents beginning Oct. 6.