The Mash: Upcycling with Heart

Founded in 2011 by siblings who share a deep passion for food and community, The Mash has grown into a beloved local spot with multiple locations across Calgary and Edmonton. Every restaurant is designed to feel warm and welcoming, filled with upcycled and repurposed materials that not only tell a story but also help reduce waste.

The Mash’s mission revolves around making the most of what already exists. Whether it’s giving vintage furniture a new home in their restaurants or transforming spent grains from their brewing process into flavourful pizza dough, by embracing upcycling and minimizing landfill waste, The Mash is creating something truly special.

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Beyond their creative upcycling efforts, The Mash is also dedicated to reducing food waste by donating doughs and cheesecakes nearing their best-before dates. Since partnering with Second Harvest in December 2023, The Mash has been donating between 20 and 30 pizza doughs each week, with some weeks reaching as many as 70.

"We are very community-forward. A lot of people know each other, and we’re a lot of local businesses working together. We have the same regulars — it’s a very family feel," said Ashley, manager at The Mash’s Kensington location. “We all help each other. There are a few people that will come in, they're hungry, we'll just give them a free pizza. We want to make sure no one goes hungry.”

Every Tuesday, Ashley logs into the Second Harvest Food Rescue app to arrange their donation.

"It’s super simple and easy to use — just two button clicks," Ashley explained. "Normally, within the hour, our donation is claimed, and within a day, it’s picked up."

“Especially with the rising price in groceries right now, a lot of people are struggling to just pay rent and make ends meet. So anything that we can do to help people, we love it.” Ashley continued, “We love everything about it. We love the fact that we have fed so many people and that we can continue to feed people every day.”

One of the recipients of The Mash’s donations is Feed It Forward in Chestermere.

"They take all the doughs and put them into packages with other food donations," Ashley explains. "Then they distribute them to local houses."

Whether through their sustainable restaurant designs, their inventive use of brewing byproducts or their food donations, The Mash is proving that good food and kindness have lasting impact.