A Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris is relying on a new way of growing mushrooms to create the sought-after flavor of its famous tortelli pasta. 

Le George restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel George V gets the mushrooms from start-up company La Boîte à Champignons, where they are grown in coffee grounds and food waste collected from bistros across Paris. Leftover market crates are used as a structure for them to cling on to in place of the trees they would grow on in the wild.

The whole process is a reinvention of methods that have been used throughout history, which are based on the notion that organic material and waste always return to the earth. 

This method of growing is not only more environmentally friendly, but it also produces a higher quality mushroom, says Simone Zanoni, chef at Le George.

They are grown in a controlled environment and the mushrooms are cleaner because they do not require washing. This also means they are drier and absorb less water. 

The mushrooms stay firmer during cooking and also require fewer additional ingredients to be added, such as fats.

Zanoni says such a method completely transforms the bite of the mushrooms and produces a more refined taste. 

This results in an innovative and improved type of mushroom worthy of a Michelin-starred dish.