An Edmonton restaurant is out to prove that one person's trash is another person's tasty treasure.

Instead of relying on the most expensive and freshest ingredients, the city's pop-up vegetarian restaurant Salvaged uses food that is misshapen, bruised and has been tossed aside.

But the eatery's chefs say the rejects can still be put to use, and that far too many Canadians throw out perfectly good food.

"Knowing how much waste there is in the restaurant industry, and seeing it first hand, it's fun to be able to take a stand," Eric Hanson told CTV News.

All of the ingredients have been donated by local producers and grocery stores. They're edible but not up to consumer standards.

"It is a challenge and it's a good cause, so it's win-win," said Hanson.

The operation is the first major undertaking by the local non-profit Alder Food Security Society. The group hopes to make healthy, local food accessible to Edmonton residents from all walks of life.

"We're taking reclaimed food from local producers and grocery stores and turning it into really tasty meals that people can come and buy," said Alder Food Security Society founder Carley-Jane Stanton.

All funds collected by the restaurant go toward the organization's programs.

In an effort to make healthy foods more readily available, the group is hoping to cut down on food waste. More than $31 million worth of edible food is thrown out by Canadians each year. And about three-quarters of all food purchased at restaurants or the grocery ends up in the trash.

"It's meant to teach people about the sort of delicious meals they can make with floppy vegetables and bruised apples," said Stanton. "It's also meant to raise awareness about the amount of food waste that is in our city."

And so far, customers haven't wasted any time (or food), giving Salvaged rave reviews.

"Oh, it's lovely," said one woman.

"Wow, it's delicious," said another customer.

With a report from CTV 's Alberta Bureau Chief Janet Dirks