food trends - Sysco Boston

FOOD TRENDS
2016
MORE THAN 190 IDEAS ABOUT YOUR FUTURE
w w w. s y s c o.c om
Top 2016 food trends fuel
evolution of menus
www.restaurant.org Nov. 5, 2015
The National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot in 2016 culinary forecast shows that mature menu trends maintain momentum,
while sub-trends evolve in their wake.
The annual survey of nearly 1,600 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation – found that local sourcing and environmental sustainability continue to rule the top of the menu trends list for 2016, from overall culinary themes to more focused versions of those
themes. Also prominent in the top 20 are various takes on global flavors.
“True trends evolve over time, especially when it comes to lifestyle-based choices that extend into other areas of our everyday life,” said Hudson
Riehle, senior vice president of research for the National Restaurant Association.
“No one has a better view into the future of food trends than the culinary professionals
who lead our industry.”
– Hudson Riehle, Senior V.P. of Research, National Restaurant Association
"Chefs and restaurateurs are in tune with over-arching consumer trends when it comes to menu planning, but add their own twist of culinary
creativity to drive those trends in new directions. No one has a better view into the window of the future of food trends than the culinary
professionals who lead our industry," Riehle said. "We are excited to see how foodservice establishments will incorporate these culinary trends
for 2016," said Thomas Macrina, CEC, CCA, AAC, national president, American Culinary Federation. “Chefs enjoy being creative and many of these
trends give them the ability to do what they love: make fresh, delicious food for people to enjoy.”
There is some synchronicity among several of the top trends for 2016. For example, locally sourced items are tied to the grow-your-own concept
of hyper-local items, which in turn drills down to the make-your-own trend of house-made items.
International influences are also making
a strong showing at the top of the list in
2016, including ethnic condiments and
spices, authentic ethnic cuisine, ethnicinspired breakfast items, and street food.
Additional analysis of the survey results
reveals which trends are gaining momentum and which ones are slowing down.
For example, African and Middle Eastern
flavors are on the rise, while kale salads
and gluten-free cuisine are losing ground
as hot trends.
When asked which current food trend has
grown the most over that last decade,
44 percent of the chefs said local sourcing.
Looking forward, 41 percent said the
trend that will grow the most in the next
ten years is environmental sustainability.
In September 2015, the NRA surveyed
1,575 American Culinary Federation
members, asking them to rate 221 items
as a “hot trend,” “yesterday’s news,” or
“perennial favorite” on menus in 2016.
Download the NRA’s 18-page survey
results absolutely free by visiting
www.restaurant.org/FoodTrends
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g
TOP 10
10 food & beeverage
Y
TREND
TR
REN
R
RE
END
EN
E
N
ND
DS
DS
The
Sriracha
effect
Elevatting
g
peasa
ant
fare
Having learned that Sriracha
sauce can add instant etthnic
cachet, chefs are scouting
the world for other asseertive
flavorings. Likely bets:
ghost pepper from Indiaa;
sambal from Southeast
Asia; gochujang from Ko
orea;
harissa, sumac and dukkka
from North Africa.
Meatballs and saausages are
proliferating—traditional,
ethnic or nouveaau, shaped
from many typess and
combinations of meats.
Likewise on the rrise are ethnic
dumplings, from pierogis to
bao buns. Even the
t staff of
life gets the royaal treatment,
from haute toastt to signature
cheesy bread.
Z
[
\
Trash to
trreasure
Burned
Bubbly
y
Rising priices for proteins raise
the profiles
les of under-utilized
stewing ccuts, organ meats and
“trash” species of fish—but
the “use it all” mindset has
also movved beyond the center
of the plaate. How about a
veggie bu
urger made with
carrot pulp from the juicer?
SSmoke and fire are showingg
up everywhere on the
m
menu
: charred or roasted
v
vegetab
le sides; desserts with
w
c arred fruits or burnt-sugaar
ch
toppings; cocktails featuring
s
smoked
salt, smoked ice or
s
smoky
syrups.
Effervescence makes
es
light work of the tren
endiest
beverages: Champaagnes
and Proseccos, Camparimparian d -sod a ap éritifs,,
adults- only “hard” ssoft
drinks including ginger
ger
ales and root beers,, fruitbased artisanal sodas,
sparkling teas.
X
]
^
_
`
a
Fa
ast food
refresh
Year of the
worker
The delivery
very
revolution
ion
Consumers
ers gravitate
to “better”
e fast food,
transforming
ming and diversifying
the industry.
s
“QSR plus”
concepts with fresher menus
and bright
h units fill a niche
between fast food and fast
casual. “B
Build your own”
springs up in more menu
categoriees. QSRs add amenities
like alcoh
hol.
Mandates to boost minimum
M
w
wages
will reverberate up
a d down the workforce,
an
w experienced staffers
with
demanding proportional raises
es
a d skilled workers even hard
an
der
to hire. Technology will help
restaurants do more with
f
fewer
or lower-level workers..
C
Compan
ies will devote more
resources to training
a d retention.
an
Order-and-pay apps and
third-party online orrdering
and delivery servicess make
“dining in” easier thaan ever.
Transformational companies
like Uber and Amazo
on are
muscling into the maarket.
App-only services like
ke
Munchery deliver food from
commissaries, bypasssing
the brick-and-mortarr
restaurant altogether.
er.
FAST
FAST
FO O D
Negative
e
on GMOs
s
Whatever the science sayys,
many consumers have made
up their minds: no genetic
tinkering with their food..
Some diners will gravitatee to
restaurants touting GMO
O-free
fare; others will demand GMO
labeling on menus. That’ss a
big issue for the supply chain,
since many crops (such as
a soy
fed to livestock) have beeen
modified to boost producctivity.
Modern
nizing
g
the sup
pply
chain
Climate destabilizzation,
mutating pathogens and rising
transportation co
osts, among
other challenges,, will increase
stress on the food supply
chain. Consumer demand
for “fresh” and “llocal” fare
also challenges a distribution
system based on consolidation,
centralization, larrge drop sizes
and long shelf lifee.
3
10 Food & Beverage Trends
www.foodingredientsfirst.com
Nov. 17, 2015
The “clean eating” trend has inspired a back-to-basics approach in product development and is an overarching theme in our 2016 projections.
4. Processing the Natural Way
Established food processing practices that have been around for
centuries are in the spotlight. They bring with them a natural and
authentic image to counteract some of the negative perceptions
of heavily processed foods. The health benefits of fermented foods
are seeing increasing awareness among western consumers.
Newer technologies such as HPP (high pressure processing) may also
succeed if they are seen as a fresh alternative to using preservatives.
1. Organic Growth for Clear Label
“Clear label” established itself as a key trend in 2015, with greater
transparency and the focus on simpler products with fewer artificial
additives taking “clean label” to the next level. The biggest surge in
NPD has been reported in organic products, indicating that this will
be a key platform going forward in the short term, although the
challenges involved may result in more beneficial platforms for clear
label in the longer term.
5. Green Light for Vegetables
Consumers know that they need to eat more greens, but shy away
because of taste expectations. Children can be encouraged to eat
more through hidden vegetable products, while the rise of fusion
smoothies and high vegetable pastas indicates that adults can also
be encouraged to increase their intake.
2. Free From For All
Many consumers don’t need
products that are free from gluten,
wheat and dairy, but demand them,
believing them to be healthier.
Industry has little choice but
to respond and the recent surge
in mainstream gluten free products
has been incredible. Other “free
from” platforms are also expanding.
3. The “Flexitarian” Effect
The rise of part-time vegetarians, who have reduced their meat
consumption because of health, sustainability and animal welfare
concerns, is having a major impact on new product activity.
This includes the technological development and promotion of
better-tasting products more reminiscent of meat, as well as the use
of alternative protein sources and more animal-friendly processes.
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6. Creating a “Real” Link
The rise of the Millennial consumer as a key product development
target group has led to growing calls for a back-to-basics approach,
to re-establish links with “real” food. “Real” is telling a story about
where the product comes from and goes beyond certification alone.
Consumers want to know that the product is local, sustainably sourced,
or created by well treated and well-paid workers if it comes from
a distant land. Staple foods from a specific region have a marketing
advantage over generic staples. Williams said: “Big trends relating
to the consumer where it comes from and making the link to ‘real’
food are on the increase.
7. Small Players, Big Ideas
9. The Indulgence Alibi
Big companies used to have a few major competitors, now they have
hundreds of small ones. Many of these small players only do one thing,
but they do it well, which holds high appeal for discerning Millennial
consumers. Because they are less restricted in their development
process, small companies are getting their ideas out much quicker and
serving as inspiration for the big boys, who are resorting to copying
them, or just buying them out altogether.
For some categories such as desserts and chocolate, there will be no
valid argument to take up a health positioning. It can be confusing
and detrimental to a brand steeped on a premium and indulgent
platform. But health conscious consumers do want to justify
consuming a product purely for pleasure and therefore look for
an excuse. A classic “indulgence alibi” can be the wholesome
or natural quality of ingredients. The trend is also an opportunity
to create smaller, but still highly indulgent treats.
Williams took the rise in use of kale as an ingredient as a case in point:
“If we look at kale, we separated out product launches that use kale
as an ingredient, launches are being led by small companies. It has
been on-trend and there is a lot of conversation in the media and
consumer press surrounding kale and it is all influenced by small
companies that have become thought leaders. We need to be
watching small companies to see what they do next.”
“There will be a lot of change in portion size of these indulgence
products as well as guilt-free indulgence, particularly dark
chocolate,” says Williams.
8. Beyond the Athlete
Major sports nutrition manufacturers have realized that they can
only get so far in targeting the saturated niche of bodybuilders, elite
athletes and fitness fanatics in western markets. The benefits of sports
nutrition components such as protein and energy ingredients can be
exploited by all demographic groups and manufacturers are therefore
diversifying on the “healthy living” platform for everyone. Previously
specialized product portfolios are expanding into new categories,
while some major manufacturers are launching products that in the
past could have been seen as the athlete’s domain.
“In terms of products that contain protein, the trend is not going
away but it has definitely moved beyond the athlete now and become
a product for the mainstream. It is about healthy living and healthy
lifestyle. The categories with a lot of protein claims now include cereals
and baby food,” says Williams.
10. Tastes for New Experiences
Well-traveled and highly adventurous consumers are expecting
more authenticity and originality from food and beverages that
they consume. They are looking for highly specific and authentic
products from all corners of the globe. Their curious flavor palate
is open to trying out new taste experiences, which can include
combining apparently non-complementary flavors in a single bite
or opening up to unusual textural ideas through layered flavors.
Creative marketing and the development of 3D printing are just
two platforms driving this innovative trend.
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NRN predicts 2016 menu trends
www.nrn.com Dec. 17, 2015 by Bret Thorn
3. Beyond Sriracha
Having established that many Americans love spicy food, we’ll likely see
restaurants move beyond the now-ubiquitous Sriracha sauce.
This is a well-established practice at independent restaurants, many
of which are making their own hot sauces, but new types of heat are
spreading to chains, too (and of course the hot sauce bar is a signature
feature of Firehouse Subs).
The Korean hot-sweet chile paste gochujang was on the Korean street
tacos at California Tortilla earlier this year, and Noodles & Company is
rolling out Korean meatballs with gochujang in 2016. If you see “Korean
barbecue sauce” on a menu, chances are good that it’s gochujang.
1. Clean Labels
Americans are likely going to continue seeking out clean labels and
somewhat lighter options, while continuing to eat bacon double
cheeseburgers with seeming abandon. Their diets are likely to shift
with their whims, from high-protein to gluten-free to meatless.
They also will likely be eating a lot of fried chicken.
Kale will probably continue to be popular, but quinoa might
gradually fade from the scene as more grains, especially wheat
varieties like farro and kamut, become more mainstream.
Calabrian peppers also are popular among indies, and it’s also part of
brunch at Romano’s Macaroni Grill. Yogurt with the North African spice
blend harissa was on the menu at Brick House Tavern + Tap this spring.
The October limited time offer at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Wild Pepper
Tenderloin, was marinated in habanero pepper, aji amarillo and Szechuan
peppercorns. African piri piri and Middle Eastern Aleppo peppers also
are spreading at independents.
There probably won’t be a single hot pepper or pepper sauce to replace
Sriracha, but instead a proliferation of varieties to suit each restaurant and
its customers.
2. DIY Everything
A number of chefs returned to butchering their own hogs and lamb
years ago (beef less so). Then they started pickling, and now they’re
fermenting their own kimchi, sauerkraut, potatoes (it tastes kind
of like they were pre-treated with vinegar, they say) and just about
anything else they can think of. House-made mozzarella’s almost
normal in trendy Italian restaurants. House-churned butter used
to be a rarity; now, not so much.
Some chefs have taken to milling their own flour. What’s next?
Well, Priscilla Young, the beverage director for Travelle Kitchen & Bar
in Chicago, is talking about distilling ready-to-drink cocktails (possibly
like a very complex gin). I bet some chefs already keep their own
goats to make cheese, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see mushrooms
cultivated in their basements. (I have no idea what the health code
implications might be for that.) In-house beer brewing, after booming and busting in the 80s and 90s, is coming back, and given the
fact that The Culinary Institute of America just started its own
microbrewery at its Hyde Park, N.Y., campus as an instructional tool,
it looks like that practice will be around for awhile.
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4. A Lot of Vegetables
Just as there will not likely be a new Sriracha, there probably won’t be a
new kale. But the drumbeats of local/seasonal and farm-to-table continue,
and they’re best expressed with produce, meaning the floodgates are
open for chefs to highlight and celebrate vegetables, offering them as the
center of a meal rather than nutritional obligations. As chain restaurants
face requirements to post calorie information on their menus and menu
boards, vegetables offer the opportunity to add color, flavor, texture and
perceived value to dishes as starches (which, to be fair, are also vegetables)
and high-fat proteins — and calorie counts — shrink.
Diced vegetable medleys are now common accompaniments for meaty
entrées at independent restaurants, such as the blend that chef Serena
Bass serves to accompany her lamb chops at Lido restaurant in New York.
She combines butternut squash, celery root, carrots and sweet potato,
hazelnuts and coriander seeds and roasts them all together with salt,
pepper and olive oil.
Similarly, at Petrossian in New York, Richard Farnabe’s steak is accompanied
by diced roasted sunchoke in maple bourbon sauce.
5. Shake Shooters
7. Wine You’ve Never Heard Of
I’ve been waiting for this to happen for years, and maybe in 2016
it finally will. We know snacking is on the rise. So are smoothies and
other drinkable foods, as well as miniature desserts. So why hasn’t
anyone offered these quick pick-me-ups for mid-morning snacks
or those 4 p.m. low-energy moments: 4-ounce milk shakes of around
200 calories each, priced at around $2. It seems like a no-brainer.
Sure, some wine drinkers — a lot of them — will always drink Chardonnay
or Pinot Grigio or Cabernet Sauvignon or White Zinfandel. But those
looking to explore have shown an interest in pushing the limits.
Few American wine drinkers have been raised on classic varietals,
so the adventurous ones are open to whatever you have to offer.
Starbucks tested the waters a bit this past spring with the Mini
Frappuccino — a 10-ounce version of its signature smoothie, priced
at 20 cents to 30 cents less than its 12-ounce “tall” Frappuccino.
6. Hybrid Burgers
Mushrooms cost less than meat, are low in calories, have micronutrients and are umami bombs. Grind them up finely, mix them with
ground meat, and you have a nice, flavorful, lower-calorie burger.
It’s an idea that the Mushroom Council has been pushing for a few
years now, and it’s starting to catch on. College foodservice operators
are starting to introduce them, and the feedback has apparently been
good. Restaurants looking for lower-calorie burger options as menu
labeling rules come into effect at the end of 2016 will likely follow
suit with these blends or similar burger hybrids.
Back Yard Burgers has done something like that for its Mediterranean
Chicken Burger, a limited time offer from November. It mixed ground
chicken with spinach, mozzarella, quinoa and peppers. That patty was
served with crumbled feta cheese, lettuce and tomato on flatbread.
Many Millennials have shown an abiding interest in sweet wine,
particularly Moscato, but that leaves the way open for off-dry Rieslings,
and then maybe even dry ones. Young red wine drinkers are enjoying
affordable Argentine Malbecs these days, but they’ll likely be open
to a Greek Xinomavro, Uruguayan Tanat or even those affordable
Romanian wines your distributor’s trying to unload. In the next year,
the wine drinker’s sense of adventure will likely continue to expand
as evolving wine preservation technology allows all wine-serving
restaurants to offer strong by-the-glass programs.
8. One More Year of India Pale Ale
According to the Brewers Association, the trade body for craft beer makers,
IPA consumption actually accelerated in 2015, even after a banner 2014,
and now comprises 27 percent of the craft beer market. Although there’s
little sign of hop fatigue yet, craft beer just accounted for 11 percent of
beer sales by volume in 2014, and Bart Watson, the Brewers Association’s
chief economist, expects it to fall somewhere between 12 percent and
13 percent for 2015. As craft beer becomes more mainstream, or as
mainstream beer drinkers turn to craft beer, we’ll likely see a resurgence
of traditional American favorites such as lagers in general and pilsners
in particular. But I think IPA still has another good year or two in it.
7
Top 10 Food Trends
thefoodchannel.com December 11, 2015
Based on research conducted by The Food Channel in conjunction with CultureWaves® and the International Food Futurists, the list identifies
some of the significant changes expected to hit the food world. 2016 marks 28 years since The Food Channel began identifying food trends.
1. Clean Label — “Clean Label” is a term that needs no definition
in the food world, where growers and food manufacturers are being
asked daily to remove preservatives, artificial flavors, antibiotics
and other potential allergens. Farm-to-table is no longer enough.
Given the realities of how we eat, not everything is farmers’ market
fresh. Businesses of all sizes will be responding to consumer
demands for transparency.
2. A No Tipping Future — Restaurateur Danny Meyer is used to
setting the standard—in food, in service, and in taking care of his
employees. So we shouldn’t be surprised to see him leading the
charge to change the way we pay at a restaurant. His policy is not
without controversy as pundits debate the merits of incentive pay,
but he’s also not alone. Joe’s Crab Shack is the first major chain to test
a no-tipping policy. Leaside, a Toronto-based restaurant, dared to
open with the policy in place, and worker-owned Casa Nueva has
made the switch. Watch for phrases such as “hospitality included,”
and for the impact to extend into the kitchen, where shared tips had
become the norm. Will higher wages all around lead to menu prices
that make us rethink the value of eating out, or will we adapt and love
not having to pass judgment on our servers? Watch for “hospitality
included” signs in the near future.
3. Tangy: the Newest Flavor Palate — As we look beyond spicy
and sweet, we are moving into territory that incorporates a more
nuanced palate. What used to be sweet is now savory, and vice versa.
Everything is getting flip-flopped as we try to figure out the newest
and edgiest, or seek a new experience. It’s leading to stronger flavors
that pack a punch to make sure we notice them.
4. The New Vegan — As we customize the way we eat, we keep
assigning new terms to it with new definitions. This goes beyond
flexitarian, beyond pegan (paleo/vegan), and into true personalization
of what works for YOU. That may include figuring out how to eat
at a fast-food restaurant on a vegan diet. Restaurants have been
scrambling to accommodate this and are essentially making their own
rules. We’re also seeing companies trying to fill the vegan niche with
vegan alcohols. And we can’t forget what amounts to a rebranding
of beans to accommodate the need. Check out the “pulse,” which
is essentially the dry legume formerly known as the bean.
India expects its pulse exports to double this year.
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5. Coffee Flavor and Flair — Instead of flavoring our coffees, now
we are flavoring nearly everything else with coffee, caffeine boost
included! We’re moving beyond mocha cakes and cookies and right
into things like chewable coffee cubes, coffee candy, coffee rubs,
and coffee beer. We haven’t really substituted home brews for our
coffeehouse addiction—we’ve expanded it. Hotels and restaurants
are incorporating a coffee process story into their brands, too—
making the story as relevant as the flavor. Chains such as Fairmont
Hotels, Marriott, Hilton and Le Méridien are all implementing higher
standards of coffee service, and new hot spots are offering an
all-decaf experience.
6. Merging Markets — Hershey and Krave. Hormel Foods and
Applegate. Heinz and Kraft. Snyder’s-Lance and Diamond. Marriott
and Starwood. Are we making better companies or just bigger ones?
The merits of consolidation can be debated all day, but the reality
is that mergers and acquisitions are big in the food and hospitality
world. The reasons include everything from insurance against crop
shortages all the way to calling it a sign of a maturing industry.
It could also be that, outside of health, we haven’t seen a lot of true
innovation in food in years—it’s been a lot of duplication, enhancement, or redesign—so that the only way to grow is to combine.
That stimulates the competition to follow, since the only way to keep
up is to grow. Some global implications come into play here, too,
as some of the mergers include overseas acquisitions. That could pave
the way for emerging-world countries to boom in the food world.
7. Cultural Diets — People are searching for their own culture, and
in doing so, are realizing that there may have been health benefits for
their genetics and body type. The great American melting pot that
is represented by our food may actually start to get sorted back out,
as people embrace ethnicity without “Americanizing” it into something potentially unhealthy. Watch for cultural influences particularly
from the American Indian and Nordic cultures. We believe this
includes a shift into mixing lifestyle and food choices. Just look at the
Health Goth movement, or at entertainment such as Holy & Hungry,
where faith and food are mixed, or at the growing interest in rituals
such as Kung Fu tea, where part of the food pleasure is in maximizing
the customs around it.
8. Decadent Desserts — Decadence is making a comeback.
If we are regulated everywhere, apparently we have to have an outlet
somewhere. We’re seeing it big time in things such as boozy cereal
milkshakes and fried milkshakes. We’re also seeing darker chocolate
show up, thanks to the implied benefits from higher cacao.
There is the move toward incorporating marijuana or hemp in recipes.
It’s not just the THC-laced brownies of the 60s and 70s. Now we have
foods with the hemp-based CBD additive that reportedly pulls the
beneficial effects out without the psychoactive effects.
9. Searching for Super — Everyone is trying to find the next
superfood, leading to the quick introduction of new foods, with quick
turnaround if they don’t “stick.” While this appears to encourage
innovation, it’s really become more about throwing an idea or product
out there to see whether it takes off. The pattern is beginning to dilute
our ability to enjoy “good food” when we require “super.” That said, start
watching for more seaweed on the menu—and not just seaweed, but
different strains of seaweed! (We may also start calling it “seagreens” to
appeal more to the masses.) Other items on our radar are lingonberries
and elderberries instead of blueberries, kohlrabi or collard greens
instead of kale, avocado oil instead of coconut oil, and the everyday
use of banana peel, BroccoLeaf, baobab, pitaya, chlorella and more.
10. Food Entertainment — We called this out in 2012 when we
highlighted the trend toward TV, YouTube and celebrity chefs.
Now we’re seeing it integrated into mainstream television and
movies, with shows such as Fresh Off the Boat (based on Chef Eddie
Huang’s life) and movies such as Burnt. Also growing in popularity
are the food-related movies airing on Hallmark Channel and the new
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. They’ve gone so far as to adapt
culinary mysteries into fun movies that include recipe references.
It seems our appetite for food programming is still being fed,
with no sign of anyone pushing back from the remote.
9
2016 Beverage Trends
www.nrn.com Nov. 9, 2015 by Bret Thorn
Here, NRN looks at Andrew Freeman & Co.’s 2016 beverage trend predictions and gives real-world examples.
1. Mocktails — Designated drivers, pregnant women, dieters
“and even ‘foodie’ children,” are all target markets Freeman points to
for beverages that are carefully crafted but free of alcohol, including
the Côte de Beet at Atera in New York City, a combination of black
currants and beets “that are aged in hopes of matching the taste
of red wine,” Freeman said.
Hard Rock Café introduced a new mocktail this season called Rock
You Like a Coconut, made with Monin Salted Caramel syrup, Coco
Real syrup and caramel sauce blended with half-and-half and served
over ice in a mason jar topped with whipped cream and caramel
popcorn (pictured above.)
2. Kombucha — This fermented tea drink “is being incorporated into
cocktails to create more botanical and fruitful alcoholic beverages,”
Freeman reports, adding that Crooked Stave in Denver keeps at least
one kombucha on draft. So does Flower Child: A Food Revolution,
a restaurant opened last year by Fox Restaurant Concepts in
Scottsdale, Ariz.
3. Carbonated Drinks — Sales of traditional soda
might be down, but Freeman sees a spike in “fancy
house made sodas” and other higher-end sparkling
drinks, including a rise in craft ginger beers, craft
hard sodas and adult root beer.
Sonic Drive-In entered the fray last year with
its lower calorie, less sweet line of Splash
Hand-Crafted Sodas in flavors such as blackberrypineapple and Sunshine Berry (at right).
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4. New Styles and Uses for coffee — Nitro-coffee, in which iced
coffee is infused with nitrous oxide to give it a creamy texture similar
to Guinness beer, is spreading in specialty coffee shops, and the
morning brew is also being incorporated into other beverages.
Those include a sort of coffee horchata at Coffee Bar in San Francisco,
which is a blend of cinnamon, vanilla-infused cold brew coffee,
ice and milk; and the Kaffe Tonic at Saint Frank, also in San Francisco,
which combines tonic water and espresso.
Other examples, as reported by NRN, include the Espresso Old
Fashioned at Everyman Espresso in New York City, which combines
a shot of espresso with bitters, simple syrup and a citrus twist (above).
5. Barrel-Aged Gin — Spirits manufacturers are adding color and
depth of flavor to this aromatic spirit, which Freeman said give gin
“hints of vanilla, maple, and brown sugar, creating a gin that is easy
to sip and is the perfect complement in any number of cocktails.”
6. Tropical Cocktails — “Umbrella
decorated drinks are on the rise and
bringing a little more flare to your
glass,” Freeman reports, pointing to
places such as The Well Bar and Grill
in Kansas City, which has a tiki cocktail
menu featured weekly (Tiki Tuesday),
and Fair Weather in San Diego, which
has an “artisanal Piña Colada” and
variations on the classic Mai Tai.
Margaritaville added more tropical
flair to its signature drink earlier this
year by adding ginger and citrus to it.
7. Food & Cocktail Pairings —
“Bartenders are creating drinks with
flavors designed to specifically
complement dishes,” Freeman reports.
That includes a Sazerac paired with
a Florentine-style porterhouse steak
at North End Grill in New York City.
Such pairings have long been a house
specialty at Hopscotch in Oakland,
Calif., including beef tataki topped
with yuzu kosho, nagaimo and radish
and served with a highball made
of Satsuma Shiranami Mugi Shochu,
seltzer and yuzu (at left).
10. Bloody Marys — Freeman expects “to see more and more
creative presentations” of this brunch classic, including innovative
garnishes, new components and carts allowing for customizable
versions, such as the Bloody Mary Cart at 1313 Main in Napa, Calif.
Legal Sea Foods introduced a Green Bloody Mary this spring
(pictured), made with vodka, the chain’s own spicy tomatillo green
Bloody Mary mix and pickled tomato.
8. Frozen Cocktails — The Beyond Zero icemaker, which gets cold
enough to freeze alcohol, is providing new opportunities to help
restaurants sell frozen cocktails. Freeman pointed to Loopy Doopy at
the Conrad Hotel in New York City as an example. It has frozen boozy
ice pops served upside-down in wine glasses containing Prosecco.
Church Key in Los Angeles takes a different approach, making frozen
cocktails tableside with liquid nitrogen (pictured above).
9. Photogenic Cocktails — Operators have responded to the trend
of consumers posting pictures of their drinks with “Instagram-worthy
garnishes from gold-dusted flowers, dehydrated fruits, sugar stirrers
and designer straws,” Freeman said. Examples include the smoked
pork belly that garnishes a bourbon and pepper-honey cocktail
at Toki Underground in Virginia.
Perhaps going beyond that are video-friendly drinks, like Berries &
Bubbles, a signature cocktail at steak and seafood chain Ocean Prime,
which is made with dry ice and appears to be smoking (pictured.)
11. Matcha — This Japanese powdered tea,
praised for its healthful qualities, is finding its
way into drinks, as are other plant-based
ingredients, Freeman reports. Haru introduced
a Cucumber Matcha Margarita, made with
tequila, cucumber-infused sake, Luxardo and
matcha mixed with a cucumber-jalapeño
infusion (pictured with the chain’s watermelon
lemonade).
12. Wine on Tap — “More restaurants
and wineries are offering wines on
tap,” Freeman reports, noting that
keeping wine in kegs increases
preservation time and speed of
service “rather than going through
the traditional process of popping
open a stubborn cork.”
13. New Wave White Wine — Freeman said white wines, particularly
moderately oaked ones, are growing in popularity. “Even traditional
red wine drinkers are exploring more white wines,” the firm noted,
pointing to double-digit growth in Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris
varietals. More oak, but otherwise fewer interventionist measures
is the trend among winemakers, the firm reported.”
11
Hot Food Trends
www.nrn.com Nov. 6, 2015 Article by Bret Thorn
Nation’s Restaurant News breaks down the ever-popular annual food trend predictions from San Francisco-based hospitality consulting firm
Andrew Freeman & Co., and gives real-world examples. Visit www.afandco.com for the full 2016 Trend Report.
1. Go Veg or Go Home — “Vegetables are the hero this year,”
and that doesn’t necessarily mean vegetarian or vegan. Vegetable
portions are rising and meat portions are shrinking — something
many Millennials see as being gentler on the planet.
“People want less animal protein and are requesting that veggies are
ramped up to their fullest creative potential,” Freeman said, noting
that Bon Appétit magazine’s restaurant of the year went to Al’s Place
in San Francisco, where meat dishes are served as sides.
Pictured: True Food Kitchen’s roasted seasonal vegetable board with
avocado green goddess dip and pimento cashew cheese spread
4. Fiery, Fiery Foods — “From the obvious chili oil to the ubiquitous
Sriracha to the creatively inspired spicy maple syrup, American
palates are embracing and relishing the heat,” Freeman said, noting
that chile’s even finding its way into beverages and desserts, such as
the Chili Tamarind Margarita at E & O Kitchen and Bar in San Francisco
or the ancho-chocolate ice cream at Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream
in San Francisco.
Pictured: Salsa Verde Brisket Nachos at Applebee’s
5. Lobster Roll — Diners have shown
a willingness to pay for these pricey
sandwiches that are popping up across
the country, including the growing
Lobster ME chain. Uno Pizzeria & Grill
introduced lobster rolls (pictured)
as a limited time offer this past summer.
2. Hawaiian Food — Poke, a Hawaiian dish made with raw fish, salt
and a wide array of flavorings is becoming a staple in Los Angeles.
Freeman points to restaurants elsewhere, such as Liholiho Yacht Club
in San Francisco, Poke to the Max in Seattle and Noreetuh in New York
City as Hawaiian-oriented restaurants helping to spread the trend.
Pictured: Beef tongue with kimchi and cucumber in poppy seed
steam bun from Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco
6. Discarded to Delicious — Moves to save money and reduce waste
are coming together in this trend, Freeman said, “and you will find
that chefs are embracing and utilizing the bits and pieces of all sorts
of ingredients that were previously discarded to create delicious
new dishes.”
Several restaurants have used this approach for marketing, too, such
as Belcampo, a chain in California that offered $1 burgers with underutilized beef trim, and Sauce by Nature, which has a “zero waste” approach,
changing its menu daily to use leftovers from the night before.
3. Sliders — Going beyond burgers, these small sandwiches have
become carriers for many fillings, including Rock Cod Sliders at the
Hungry Cat and shrimp cake sliders with Sausalito Springs watercress
at The Dorian in San Francisco. Arby’s reportedly sold 29 million of
their new non-burger sliders (pictured) in their debut month.
12
Sweetgreen introduced a “WastED” salad as a limited-time offer
at its New York City locations, developed in partnership with Blue
Hill chef Dan Barber. It’s made of lesser-utilized vegetable parts,
such as broccoli stalks, kale stems and cabbage cores.
Pictured: Ingredients in Sweetgreen’s WastED salad
7. House Made Flour —
Restaurants seeking the next
frontier of house-made items
have started buying small grain
mills to grind their own flours.
Restaurants doing that include
Baker Miller in Chicago and Josey
Baker Bread in San Francisco.
8. Cucumbers — Freeman said cucumbers are the “it” vegetable, and
restaurants are sourcing different varieties of them and using them
to “add texture, coolness [and] freshness” to dishes. Superiority Burger
in New York City smashes cucumbers and mixes them with yogurt,
jalapeño honey and crushed sesame breadsticks, and M.Y. China in
San Francisco serves honey-glazed cucumber shrimp with wasabi.
11. Table Service — Freeman said the “once overdone tableside salad
and flambé cart” are coming back in new forms, sometimes with the
chef or sous chef performing tableside. Restaurants returning to that
service style include the Barcelona Wine Bar chain, which slices its
cured Mangalitsa pork tableside; and Poggio Trattoria, which serves
its Italian bollito misto tableside.
NRN recently reported on the trend of restaurants rolling out carts for
dim sum-style service. Among those restaurants is Church Key in Los
Angeles (pictured).
Pictured: Fogo de Chão combined diced watermelon and cucumber
for a salad this summer.
9. Compressed Produce — Sous-vide machines are used to change
the texture of root vegetables and melons, and Freeman said the
results “are becoming staples in both high-end and casual establishments.” As an example, Freeman points to the compressed cucumbers
with beet cured salmon tartare at Bluestem Brasserie in San Francisco.
10. Stuffed Dough — Items such as Indian samosas, Central American
empanadas and Chinese dumplings are popular and are being served
at places like Russ & Daughters in New York, which opened a café that
offers items such as cheese blintzes, and Sens Restaurant in San
Francisco, which offers chorizo empanadas. As part of its Chinese New
Year menu in February, P.F. Chang’s offered Flaming Pork Wontons in
spicy garlic and sesame soy sauce, finished with scallions (pictured).
12. Indulgent Breakfast and Lunch — “Why not throw caloric
caution to the wind once a week?” Freeman asks, noting that dishes
such as French toast and pancakes with duck-liver butter abound.
He points to Brioche French Toast with Foie Gras frosting at Longman
& Eagle in Chicago as an example of this trend.
IHOP, no stranger to indulgent breakfast, added new treats to its
morning mix with items such as its summertime special of Cinnamon
Sugar Double-Dipped French Toast, garnished with cinnamon sugar
and whipped topping (pictured).
13. Ice Cream Sandwiches — Newfangled versions of this
American classic include one flavored with Cheddar cheese at Qui
in Austin, Texas, and a do-it-yourself offering at The Meatball Shop
in New York City, where guests are brought out house-made cookies
and ice cream and are set loose to make their own creations.
Ice Cream Sandwich chain Coolhaus has
introduced a line inspired by Jewish
delicatessens, including the Reuben
(pictured), made by combining
a Marbled Rye cookie (chocolate and
vanilla whoopee-pie style cookie with
caraway seeds) and pastrami ice cream,
which is made with an ice cream base
containing a savory “special sauce”
by boutique ketchup manufacturer
Sir Kensington spun with caramelized
pastrami.
13
7 Trends for 2016
Dec. 7, 2015
Planning next year’s menu or your next great concept? 2016 will be a wildy interesting year with hundreds of exciting possibilities.
We’ve talked to chefs and experts to narrow down what you’ll need to know in the year ahead.
For a start, great chefs will continue to open casual concepts. Bowl foods and restaurants specializing in them will keep growing. Wage wars?
Unfortunately. Food halls? You know it. Vegetables? Keep ’em coming. Snacks throughout the day? Yes. Here’s what to expect in ’16.
1. Cool Bowls
Bowl foods will show up on more menus. Heard of acai bowls?
They’re the new smoothie, according to consultants and trend
watchers Baum + Whiteman in their annual trends report.
Acai bowls start with frozen pulp from the superfruit, thinned out
to a scoopable texture with milk (usually soy), and finished with
fruit, granola, chia seeds, coconut flakes, peanut butter or other
toppings. Like the one at right from Jugos in Boston, they menu
for about $10.
Savory bowls are also easy to serve and are growing in popularity.
Jose Andres’s expanding three-unit fast casual Beefsteak chain
specializes in bowls of cooked-to-order vegetables assembled with
different grains, sauces and toppings, as well as optional meats
or other proteins.
Poke bowls are next on the raw fish front. Cubed ahi tuna or other
fish is marinated in a bolder, more savory sauce than its ceviche
cousin and served over seaweed-seasoned rice. The Hawaiian dish
is all over L.A. and is also popping up in Boston, New York and Salt
Lake City.
2. Snacks and Blurred Dayparts
Make room on your menu for snacks as customers continue to want
customizable experiences and something to nosh whenever the
craving hits. Increasingly, guests are looking for snacks that deliver
protein and other nutrients. The ideal snack combines sweetness
with salty, spicy or smoky flavors. The chorizo-stuffed dates at Paul
Kahan’s Avec in Chicago are a perfect example. Here are more:
• At The Violet Hour cocktail lounge in Chicago, snacks include
roasted nuts with cayenne, paprika, sugar and oregano; and
a truffled ricotta tartine of toasted rye bread topped with ricotta,
truffle oil, herbs, honey and arugula.
• At Bryant Ng’s Cassia in L.A.: Kaya (coconut jam)-filled toast made
from brioche and served with a slow-cooked egg.
• At Al’s Place in San Francisco: French fries served with smoked
apple sauce.
• At Sambar in L.A.: Chicken wings finished with Malabar hot sauce
and summer fruit chutney.
3. Southern Roots
2016 will embrace the South and its ultimate culinary icon, fried
chicken—a carryover trend of the last few years that’s showing no
signs of fatigue.
In fact, the experts at Baum + Whiteman have called 2016 “the year
of fried chicken.” The dish not only crosses geographical lines, but
the dining spectrum as well. A host of startup and independent
fast casual chicken concepts (including David Chang’s Fuku, a fried
chicken sandwich shop in NYC, and Danny Meyer’s Chicken Shack)
will expand and give the chicken chains a run for their money.
14
Are acai bowls the new smoothie? The superfruit-based dish’s popularity will take off in 2016.
Americans’ hankering for down-home foods is also bolstered by their
growing distaste for mass-produced foods—and a yearning for the days
of simply prepared dishes. Take Kevin Gillespie’s recently opened Revival
in Decatur, GA. The James Beard winner is serving up his grandmother’s
fried chicken as well as items like spiced Mississippi catfish in low
country tomato gravy.
Similarly, at Muscadine in Portland, OR, Mississippi native Laura Rhoman
serves up dishes true to her roots (many recipes are eight generations
old), taking full advantage of the produce of the Northwest. Rhoman
offers comforting meat-plus-threes with choices like fried chicken,
salmon croquettes, Andouille sausage, red peas and collard greens.
Chefs are getting creative with chicken frying techniques. At Leon’s Oyster
Shop in Charleston, SC, executive chef Ari Kolender experimented for
weeks to come up with a signature brine and breading regimen that
results in a thin, bound-to-the-skin crust that shatters when bitten.
The latest fried chicken trend is Nashville style,
or “hot,” chicken. It’s popping up in unlikely
places such as Brooklyn, NY, where “The Chew”
host Carla Hall has just opened Carla Hall’s
Southern Kitchen, selling this iteration.
Hot chicken gets a kick from a final douse
of pepper-based sauce (each chef has his or
her own). Hall marinates her chicken in pickle
brine, rolls it in seasoned flour, then pressure
fries before it gets sauced. (Hot chicken
is usually served on bread to soak up any
errant juices and oils).
4. Chef Casual
As Americans’ appetite for casual dining shows no signs of waning,
savvy upscale operators will implement a high-low strategy.
For example, last year, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson opened
the funky Street Bird Rotisserie in Harlem. Michael Mina of Bourbon
Steak and Michael Mina restaurants launched a fast casual Ramen
Bar in San Francisco. Karen and Quinn Hatfield shuttered their
minimalist haute cuisine L.A. restaurant, Hatfield’s, and opened the
bakery-café, Sycamore Kitchen, and a casual churrasco concept,
Odys + Penelope.
2016 will bring more examples. Joshua Skenes of Michelin-starred
Saison is testing the world of casual dining with Fat Noodle, a fastcasual Chinese concept that’s slated to open soon in San Francisco.
In San Diego, Mike Rosen and Richard Blais—the duo behind the
upscale Juniper & Ivy—just opened Cracked, a quirky, downscale
fried chicken joint serving an all-day menu of dishes centered
around chicken and eggs.
In a risky act of foodservice subversiveness, well-known L.A. chef
Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson of Coi and Alta in San Francisco are
taking on the fast food giants where they’re most in demand—the
inner cities of places like San Francisco, L.A. and Detroit. Their fast
food concept, LocoL, is looking to disrupt Big Fast Food with a
cleaner and healthier alternative.
5. Vegetables are Still Stars
As Restaurant Hospitality predicted last year, vegetables will
still be center stage in restaurant dishes in 2016, often taking
center-of-the plate roles and pushing protein over to the side.
Consumers seeking more antioxidants and fewer hormones, rising
beef prices, locavore-ism, a preponderance of farmers’ markets…
these are some of the forces driving the trend. Plus, vegetables’
seasonal nature and variations among species make them exciting
for chefs and patrons alike. The radish plate at Vedge in Philadelphia,
for instance, features eight different varieties of the vegetable,
prepared in eight different ways.
Vegetable-forward eating is shedding its earthy-crunchy rep
and associations with odd meat substitutes. Hearty cauliflower
or portobello steaks aren’t trying to be something they’re not.
They’re out and proud because chefs are making them delicious
and satisfying. Watch for the “root to stem” movement (similar
to the zero-waste, nose-to-tail movement) to gain traction,
says Baum + Whiteman.
That’s not to say meats are going away. Not at all. Aaron London
of Al’s Place in San Francisco uses meats as sides, garnishes or
elements of composed plates. Along with your yellow-eye bean
stew, you can order a side of duck breast with peach sauce.
That balanced approached is the real future of eating.
Another great example comes from Nico Osteria in Chicago,
where the Brussels sprouts sandwich shows the how beautifully
vegetables can headline a dish. Served on grilled toast, the crispy
sprouts are topped with stracciatella and hazelnuts and finished
with drizzled olive oil and honey.
6. Food Halls
The U.S. got its first taste of the modern iteration of the food hall
in 2010 when Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich launched Eataly in New
York. Influenced by European markets, today’s food halls are showcases
for local restaurant operators, food artisans and other purveyors.
2015 saw a food hall boom, and more will join their ranks in 2016.
Often housed in repurposed urban spaces, and featuring attractive
communal dining spaces, these elevated offspring of the 1970s food
court are showcases for local creativity and a stylish, social and
convenient way to eat and shop. Some developers have even seen
fit to include short-term incubator spaces for emerging concepts
(Avanti, Denver; 4th Street Market, Santa Ana, CA.)
Recently-opened food halls have included additional Eataly outposts,
Manhattan’s popular Gotham West Market, the Southern food-focused
Ponce City Market in Atlanta, revamped markets in L.A. (Grand Central
Market) and New Orleans (St. Roch Market). St. Roch is emblematic
of the taste level, depth and sophistication of the food hall movement,
featuring a craft cocktail bar and coffee roaster, butcher, oyster bar and
a handful of ethnic restaurant stalls.
Like Eataly, another food hall chain-in-the making is Seattle’s Market
Hall, a project by Los Angeles restaurateur Tony Riviera. It’s being
followed up by locations in Dallas, San Diego and San Francisco.
Other food halls in development include:
• Anthony Bourdain’s yet-unnamed 155,000-sq.-ft. food hall at Pier 57,
lower Manhattan. Once completed in 2017, the “chaotic, in a good
way…Asian night market,” as the No Reservations star has described it,
will be New York’s largest food hall.
• James Beard Public Market, Portland, OR, is named for the culinary icon
born there. The indoor-outdoor waterfront space will be served by 90
vendor stalls.
7. Watching Wages and Workers
Tips and minimum wage are the hot-button issues for restaurants
in 2016.
First, tipping: A few restaurants have tried doing away with tipping
in recent years with limited success, only to lose good servers to the
competition. But with high-profile restaurateurs like Tom Colicchio
and Danny Meyer (citing the public’s often-arbitrary and unfair tipping
practices) testing the no-tip waters, experts think the trend stands
a chance of catching on. Bel Air Bar + Grill will go tipless in 2016.
“I think that we will soon see a lot of restaurants converting to a tipless
system, with the restaurants paying both higher wages at the front-ofhouse and back-of-house...Wages should be determined by the
employer and not the customer’s whim,” opines Chris Emerling,
the restaurant’s chef de cuisine.
A Quinnipiac survey released last month showed the public isn’t buying
in just yet. The majority of New York City residents surveyed called
increasing menu prices or charging a 20 percent administrative fee
to cover compensation a “bad idea.”
Minimum wage? That’s a different story. In the Quinnipiac survey,
70 percent of those polled said they favored New York’s plan to up the
minimum wage for fast food workers to $15 per hour over the next
three years.
The National Restaurant Association, however, predicts mandatory
wage hikes will have a devastating effect on the industry and workers.
In a position paper on the topic, the group states that restaurants
“are labor-intensive businesses that already devote about a third of
their sales to wages and benefits...Pre-tax profit margins for restaurants
typically range from 3 to 6 percent. Many restaurateurs would be forced
to limit hiring, increase prices, cut employee hours or implement
a combination of all three to pay for the wage increase.”
Vedge’s eight different radishes, eight different ways.
15
2016 Flavor Trends
www.comaxflavors.com Nov. 30, 2015
There is a dizzying amount of food and beverage choices
available in the marketplace. Today’s consumers continue
to seek healthier choices and new culinary experiences.
In response to consumers demanding less processed,
better-for-you products, Comax Flavors reveals the 2016
Green Goodness and Cup of Tea collections. The Cuban Culture
and Chef’s Table collections address the younger demographics,
multicultural consumers and consumers craving authentic
culinary experiences.
Each Comax Flavor collection is comprised of a variety of food
and beverage applications such as ready-to-drink beverages,
alcohol, dairy, ice cream, baked goods, confections, sauces,
marinades and seasonings.
Green Goddess
Cuban Culture
As part of the health and wellness lifestyle trend, consumers
are looking for natural, less processed, better-for-you products.
Naturally, consumers are gravitating toward green vegetables
and fruits, putting them in the limelight. Preparations range from
raw and cold-pressed to cooked and grilled. Supported by the
waste management and sustainability trend, stem-to-root
cooking is gaining momentum, which is also contributing to the
growth of green produce. “There’s been a gradual increase in
green-themed products and to tap into this trend and meet the
demand for green vegetables and fruits, we created a unique
green range,” states Catherine Armstrong, Vice President of
Corporate Communications for Comax Flavors.
The recent lift of the U.S. Cuban embargo is creating new
opportunities for Americans and propelling Cuba into the public
eye. Research by the International Monetary Fund estimates that
Cuba is bracing for as many as 10 million American tourists per
year versus the 700,000 U.S. tourists it received last year. Airlines,
cruise ships and businesses are gearing up for Cuba’s expansion.
Cuban culture with a focus on cuisine will be influential in the
culinary scene. “As we know, multicultural consumers and the
younger generation are driving new flavor profiles. We see Cuba
as a natural extension for the next ethnic food inspiration and
wanted to offer authentic flavors,” says Armstrong.
Flavors in this group include:
• Avocado Pear
• Broccoflower
• Green Jackfruit
• Jalapeño Honey
Cup of Tea
Chef’s Table
According to Mintel, U.S. retail sales of tea and Ready-To-Drink
tea grew 19.8% to $7.3 billion between 2009 and 2014. The Tea
Association of the USA cited that 85% of tea consumed in
America is iced tea, and loose leaf iced tea is gaining in popularity.
The popularity of tea has lead to a focus on specialty tea, namely
Matcha. According to the Sage Group, U.S. retail sales of Matcha
green tea powder reached about 55% in 2014. This tea trend is
further evidenced by The National Restaurant Association’s
annual “What’s Hot 2015 Culinary Forecast,” which revealed
specialty ice tea such as flavored tea and matcha as trending
in non-alcoholic beverages. “To address consumers’ affinity for
tea with healthful benefits, we developed a variety of emerging
tea profiles,” says Armstrong.
‘Customer experience’ is a hot buzzword as brands and services
try to capture and engage consumers. Driven by technology,
consumers are getting accustomed to sensory experiences;
and their desire to actively participate in a myriad of experiences
is growing. Consumers seek social, interactive and authentic
culinary experiences and chef’s tables are meeting this need.
This trend is evidenced by Netflix’s 2015 docu-series Chef’s
Table, which profiles renowned international chefs. From the
preparation of the ingredients to the plating of their meal,
consumers get to go behind the scenes and see chefs in action.
“Flavor and texture are key factors in consumers’ culinary
experiences. How food and beverages are prepared,
such as fermenting, pickling and smoking, is becoming
significant. We created an array of flavors based on specific
preparations to appeal to a wide audience,” notes Armstrong.
Flavors in this group include:
• Cascara Tea
• Dandelion Tea
• Matcha Rose
• Turmeric Orange Ginger
16
Flavors in this group include:
• Café Cubano
• Cuban Sofrito
• Mamey Mojito
• Toasted Coconut Flan
Flavors in this group include:
• Coconut Vinegar
• Pickled Artichoke
• Roasted Strawberry
• Smoked Avocado
DECEMBER 2015
FoodBytes
NEXT-LEVEL FLAVOR
RS
10
10
tŚĂƚ͛Ɛ the next wasabi? Or sriracha? ĂƚĂƐƐĞŶƚŝĂů͛Ɛ MenuTrends crunches the numbers on the flavors and
in
ngredients that have been growing rapidly at innov
o ative operators across the country. These are the nextgeeneration flavors from around the world ʹ Spain, France, Japan, the Middle East, Italy, Africa, and beyond. If
cutting-edge flavors matter to you, keep this list handy in 2016.
Squash, radicchio with
Treviso, bay leaf, and
espelette ĂƚEĞǁzŽƌŬ͛Ɛ
Rebelle.
Roast brussels sprouts
and heirloom carrots,
pear mostarda glaze, and
bagna cauda at
sĂŶĐŽƵǀĞƌ͛ƐEŝĐůŝ͛Ɛ Next
Door.
Roasted cauliflower with
green apple, golden
raisin, lovage, berbere
spice, and salmon caviar
at Local Kitchen and Bar
in Ferndale, MI.
1
PADRON PEPPERS
2
PISTOU
3
ESPELETTE
4
SUMAC
5
MOSTARDA
6
SORREL
7
ROMESCO
8
TURMERIC
9
SHISO
10
Like shishito peppers, every so often one of these peppers grown in
Northwestern Spain packs a punch of heat.
Sometimes called ͞&ƌĞŶĐŚ ƉĞƐƚŽ͕͟ this mix of garlic, basil, and olive oil is a staple
in Provencal French cooking.
Also called piment Ě͛ƐƉĞůĞƚƚĞ, these bright red peppers are produced in &ƌĂŶĐĞ͛Ɛ
Basque region and often found dried or powdered.
The dark red berriees of the Middle Eastern sumac bush are typically found
powdered and sold aas a spice ʹ it has a tart, lemony flavor.
An Italian condiment in which fruits are candied and preserved with a bit of
mustard seeds, powder, or oil, often accompanying meats.
This green leafy plant has a citrusy, tangy, lemony taste, and is often used in
salads, egg dishes, orr soups.
This bright red sauce or dip made from roasted nuts and red peppers is a staple
in the Catalan region
n of Spain.
This bright yellow spice which adds a vivid hue to any dish has been trending for
its health properties ʹ look for it in smoothies and juices.
Also known as Japan
nese basil, this relative to mint is often served with sushi, but
it can also be added to salads, soups, rice bowls, and stir fries.
BERBERE
This Ethiopian spice mix often includes chili peppers, fenugreek seeds, ginger,
garlic, cinnamon, paprika, and more.
10
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436
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17
Seaweed is the new Kale
www.thefiscaltimes.com
by Beth Braverman Dec. 21, 2015
Foodies are fickle folk. Remember the summer of the cronut or the
mania surrounding food trucks? Burgers, cupcakes and coconut
water have all had their moment on the plate, but the obsession
disappears almost as quickly as it’s digested. Next year promises
a new crop of food fads. Some of the trends are influenced by
Americans’ desire to eat healthy, while others play off existing
trends. Here’s a look at what’s on the 2016 menu:
6. Beer cans are back.
While canned beer may conjure thoughts of high school house parties,
the cheaper containers are experiencing a resurgence, thanks to growing
demand from craft brewers. Demand for the highly designed, 16-ounce
cans favored by craft brewers (versus the 12-ounce variety used by big
brewers like Anheuser-Busch) has grown so quickly that there’s
a shortage of the larger containers.
1. Seaweed is the new kale.
Packed with antioxidants, fiber, iodine and good fats, seaweed
is in the spotlight as more nutrition-focused Americans search for
the next super food. The ocean vegetable is “set to explode thanks
to its sustainability angle and umami appeal,” referring to the
Japanese word for the fifth basic taste, according to the 2016
Trend Forecast from the Specialty Food Association.
7. Coffee gets creative.
The latest coffee trends will perk up even the most jaded java lover
with newfangled caffeinated concoctions that range from carbonated
coffee to iced coffee mocktails, according to Sterling-Rice Group’s 2016
Culinary Trends report. ”Coffee is no longer just a hot beverage you
have in a cup with breakfast in the morning,” says Andrea Graves,
business planning and marketing specialist with the Robert M. Kerr
Food & Agricultural Products Center at Oklahoma State University.
2. GMO animals hit the plate.
Last month, the FDA approved AquAdvantage salmon for sale,
making it the first genetically modified animal to get the controversial approval. Almost of a third of Americans said food that is not
genetically modified is an important factor to them, according
to a recent survey from The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
While salmon is the first GMO animal to reach consumers, up to
80 percent of processed American foods contain plant GMOs.
3. African flavors are hot.
Chefs are looking to Africa for inspiration in 2016, with 20%
more chefs naming flavors from the continent as a hot trend for
next year, according to the National Restaurant Association.
This month, Conde Nast Traveler declared that African cuisine
is pushing Mexican aside as the ethnic cuisine of the moment,
noting that chefs of Harlem’s Red Rooster and L.A.’s Revolutionario
are tapping into their African backgrounds to create new dishes.
4. Fast food restaurants go healthy.
As diners become more aware of chemicals and additives in their
food, fast food chains are adjusting their menus, according to food
consultant Baum+Whiteman. Already, Chipotle Mexican Grill,
Panera Bread, McDonald’s, Papa John’s and Subway have made
moves to make their menus healthier and devoid of artificial
ingredients and additives.
Early next year, well-known chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson
will launch LocoL, a nutritious, eco-friendly, fast-food chain in
so-called food deserts to bring healthier options to those who
haven’t been able to afford them. “They’re committed to offering
chef-driven, real, quality ingredients at fast food prices,” says L.A.based food expert Jason Kessler, who runs the blog Fly & Dine.
5. The battle for grocery delivery heats up.
Amazon Fresh has been giving Fresh Direct a run for its money,
but the supermarket delivery market is getting even more crowded.
This month, Target expanded its partnership with startup Instacart
to offer home delivery of foodstuffs in Chicago, in addition to San
Francisco and Minneapolis. Instacart has similar partnerships with
Whole Foods, Costco and Petco. In September, Walmart expanded
its free grocery pickup service in eight U.S. cities. Market research
firm IBISWorld forecasts online grocery shopping to grow 9.5%
each year with the potential of becoming a $9.4 billion
industry by 2017.
18
8. Restaurant prices are on the rise.
While overall food prices haven’t changed much this year, the cost of
dining out is growing five times faster than inflation, according to the
latest Consumer Price Index data. Next year, the cost is expected to
increase slightly faster than the cost of food at home. Chain restaurants
are hiking prices to make up for weakening traffic, according to trade
website Burger Business. Shake Shack and Chili’s also are planning
menu price increases next year to accommodate rising wages.
9. Sugar is enemy du jour.
Led by health-conscious Baby Boomers, sugar has become the top
item that consumers are trying to avoid in their diets. The number
of sugar-free, unsweetened, or reduced-sugar products being shipped
and consumed increased by double digits last year, according to the
NPD Group. The group expects consumers to return to eggs and oils
as recent research has shown the nutritional benefits of certain fats.
“This isn’t just something that consumers are saying they want to do,”
says Darren Seifer, the company’s food and beverage industry analyst.
“They’re actually doing it. They’re cutting back on soft drinks and
fruit juices and shifting away from sweetened snacks to fresh fruit
or savory items.”
10. Snacks take center stage.
Nearly a quarter of all snack foods consumed last year were eaten
at mealtime, according to NPD group, which expects the trend to
continue into 2016. One of the main drivers is the growing number
of single-person households, since solo eaters are more likely to opt
for snack foods for dinner. When making their selection, single
diners prefer single-serve packages and are increasingly turning
to “better-for-you” snacks, like fresh fruit, breakfast bars, and yogurt.
11. Ramen gets upscale. Once the stereotypical fare of cash-strapped college students, the
classic Japanese noodle soup has soared to new heights. This month,
a Tokyo restaurant became the first ramen shop to receive a Michelin
star, and Conde Nast Traveler expects more ramen shops to pop up
in 2016. “From Milan to Madison,” Conde Nast Traveler says, “ramen
has spawned slurpworthy iteration after iteration of its standard
components: noodles and broth.”
TASTEE T OMORROW T ODAY
BLENDSWITHBENNEFITS
Flavorful herbs and spicesaadd everyday
versatilityt o good-for-youinngredientslik e
matcha and chia.
a.
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ea: Ginger and citrussbalanc
slightly bitternot es of matcha
Flaxseed: Mediterranean herbs invitte flax to
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nccombined with
citrus, chile and garlic
Turmeric:Disc overs weetpo ssibilitie
es when turmeric
is blended with cocoa, cinnamon and
d nutmeg
HEATT+T AANG
Spicy finds a welcomec ontrast with tangy accents—lime,
rice vinegar,, yuzu, tamarind, Meyer lemon, crranberry,,
kumquats and ponzu—to elevate the eating experienc
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ALTTERNATTIVE
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and turmeric
CULINARYY--INFUSEDSIPS
T ee classic culinaryt echniques provide new tastes and
Thr
inspiration in the creation of the latest libationss.
Pickled: Combines tart with spice forz esty results
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Brûléed:
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19
12 trends that will impact restaurants in 2016
www.restaurant-hospitality.com Oct. 28, 2015
The two most noteworthy trends in for 2016 have nothing
to do with food, according to long-time food trend mavens
Baum+Whiteman. Rather, the consultants expect a revolution
in high-speed food delivery and an ever-louder national
conversation regarding tipping and pay disparities to have
the greatest impact on the restaurant world.
Baum+Whiteman creates high-profile restaurants around the
world for hotels, restaurant companies, museums and other
consumer destinations. Based in NYC, their projects include the
late Windows on the World and the magical Rainbow Room, and
the world's first food courts. The complete report can be found
on their site at www.baumwhiteman.com/2016Trends.pdf
2. Clean eating will gain more traction.
After watching consumers attack Big Food over chemicals and additives,
Big Restaurants are suddenly ditching some artificial and bad-for-you
ingredients from their menus. A recent survey found that 36 percent
of consumers worried about "chemicals" in their food. In another survey,
40 percent of consumers report it’s “very important” that foods use
all-natural ingredients, free of GMOs and artificial flavors or colors.
Odd that most of this activity is occurring at quick-service and fastcasual chains, with little word from full-service restaurants. But getting
rid of selected no-nos is no mere fad. Everyone will scramble to
"sanitize" their menus.
1. Amazon, Uber and others will shake up the delivery game.
Tech-driven delivery is 2015-2016's Big Disrupter of food retailing
and foodservice. Delivery affects everyone from McDonald's to
white tablecloth concepts. Smartphoners, latching onto the ease
of locating a restaurant, ordering, paying, and getting loyalty
points—without ever speaking to a human being—are driving
this revolution.
Muscling into high-speed food delivery: Google, UberEATS,
Amazon Prime Now, Postmates, Grub Hub, Yelp. None of them
make food. They collect fees and personal information about
who orders what, when and from which restaurants.
Most fast-casual outfits, initially designed for consumer
involvement in the assembly process, will have to wrestle
with this delivery challenge.
They're all racing to your door. UberEATS gets a limited menu
to your curb in ten minutes by preloading food into drivers' cars.
Amazon's Prime Now app gets entire menus delivered in an hour
(39 minutes in Seattle). The Postmates Pop app promises 15
minutes in San Francisco.
3. Could pasta become an endangered species?
In the last five years, pasta sales dropped 8% in Australia, 13%
in Europe and 25% in Italy of all places. It isn't a crisis here yet,
but pasta's down 6% as Americans focus on proteins and
shed carbs, or shun gluten, or subscribe to Paleo diets.
Even carboholics have more nutritious alternatives, such as quinoa,
chickpeas, lentils, spelt, barley, chia. So it looks like a trend.
Vegetable spiralizers are selling like hotcakes. Chefs will experiment
with vegetable ribbons to replace pasta. And look for pastas
incorporating more vegetables, too.
Now things get blurry. Outfits like Amazon and Google ultimately
won't care whether consumers order rotisserie chicken from
Boston Market or Kroger or Dean & Deluca or a local food truck.
This means the battle for food dollars among various distribution
channels will intensify.
The danger for restaurants: Suppose customers are craving barbecued ribs, and sites like Amazon or Uber or Google gave them
a dozen restaurants and gourmet shops near their zip code, along
with professional reviews of these producers, along with rankings?
Poof! Restaurants lose marketing control of their businesses.
20
To read more on Baum & Whiteman’s take on all of 2016’s
Hottest Trends, you can download the entire report free
at http://www.baumwhiteman.com/2016Trends.pdf
4. Vegetables will continue to step up on the plate.
5. Have tipping and wages reached a tipping point?
We've reached a tipping point for vegetables. They're pushing animal
protein to the side of the plate, sometimes entirely off it. Relentlessly
rising beef prices, concerns over hormones, a scramble for ever-more
antioxidants, health and diet concerns, growth of farmers’ markets,
locavore proponents, increasing numbers of flexitarians: All the stars
have nicely aligned.
"Fundamentally, the cost of going out to a fine-dining restaurant
is false." Danny Meyer said so recently, while he explained why
he's moving his restaurants to a no-tipping policy, thereby raising
wages for all of his staffers, front- and back-of-the-house.
It helps that vegetables are more seasonal than animals, adding
menu excitement for restaurants recognizing that buying seasonally
reduces food costs and keeps menus fresh. Say hello to "root to
stem" dining, a logical extension of the nose-to-tail movement,
with restaurants serving vegetables trimmings otherwise heading
for the trash. Say hello to "vegetable forward" restaurants, with chefs
deploying flesh as a condiment rather than the main act on the plate.
Not just vegetarians and vegans, consumers behind this shift are
omnivores who believe they eat too many animals. It’s no accident
that Bon Appetit named quirky Al's Place, in San Francisco's Mission
District, as best new restaurant of 2015. Most meat on their menu
is listed under "side dishes," and the food is head-spinningly
complex: sunchoke curry with black lime, cod and grapefruit; brined
and fermented french fries with smoked applesauce. Nothing's
wasted; citrus peels are transformed into flavored oils that are frozen
for freshness and eggplant mayo is made with pods of shelling beans.
The transforming idea is that veg-forward restaurants no longer
sell hippie food tasting like punishment. They're serving great
meals composed mostly (or entirely) of vegetables that are great
to look at, satisfyingly memorable and compatible with wine.
How mainstream are we? White Castle now has a veggie slider,
served on a vegan bun.
In truth, the restaurant industry's amazing growth over the past
five decades has depended on artificially low prices that in turn are
based upon underpaid labor. In the fast food business, low labor
costs are subsidized by taxes on the general public to pay for
employees' food stamps and other supplementary welfare payments.
In fancy restaurants, your $36 main course could easily have been
made by a $10/hour cook sweating in an overheated kitchen.
Social and economic trends move glacially—and then seem to
happen all at once. While most people reject no-tipping restaurants
as un-American, the movement now has momentum. Fact is that
even above $15/hour, restaurants are finding it impossible to hire
cooks while keeping their labor costs in line, indicating two things:
(1) pay is too low; and (2) prices are too low. If forced to pay the full
price for food, would consumers eat out less? Quite probably.
You might conclude that we have too many restaurants and not
enough cooks, and that shifts in prices and wages might even things
out. At least that’s what Economics 101 teaches us.
Most no-tipping restaurants tend to be upscale. In highfalutin
restaurants with multicourse price-fixed menus, service generally
is included in the price. Recently opened Dirt Candy adds a 20
percent administrative fee. Japanese Ippuku in Berkeley imposes
a $6 service charge per person. Ivar’s Salmon House raised prices
and wages so workers are paid least $15 per hour and declared
it a success. But it isn't all sweetness: Two restaurants in San
Francisco, Bar Agricole and Trou Normand, went tip-free and
then switched back because they couldn't hang onto servers.
But the policy is trickling down.
Sqirl, in LA, makes a big deal of vegetable toast with green garlic crème
fraiche, spicy pickled carrots, and house za’atar, shown at left.
21
6. Poke may be the next ceviche/sashimi/crudo.
8. Acai bowls: Pulp, not fiction.
Poke is a Hawaiian mainstay that's migrating to the mainland.
Basically it’s a bowl of marinated chopped or cubed raw fish
(traditionally ahi tuna) served over over seaweed-seasoned rice.
The dish is all over L.A. and starting to surface in places like Salt
Lake City, Boston and NYC.
Move over, smoothies. Acai bowls are the next big hipster food.
Using a fruit from Brazil, they're migrating from Hawaii and
spreading cross-country. It’s fundamentally a big-bowl smoothie,
made from frozen acai pulp and soy or other milk plus bananas,
bits of other fruit and lots of ice, with toppings like granola,
chia seeds, chocolate chips, coconut flakes and peanut butter.
You eat it with a spoon and it tastes fairly close to ice cream.
You also pay about $10. Google searches for acai bowls have
more than doubled this year.
7. The rise of
“new-ish Jew-ish” cuisine
will continue.
There's a resurgence of Jewish food.
We’re talking about chef-driven
modern Jewish cookery (or even
modern Jewish heresy) rather than
more traditional heavyweight
Eastern European dishes.
How come now? Because chefs
everywhere are exploring their roots
and cuisines. "Heritage cuisines"
are being expressed with stories
behind them. Grandchildren
and great-grandchildren are
reinventing dishes and foodways
that second-generation immigrants
turned their backs on (except at
family gatherings and holidays.)
Atlanta's General Muir typifies the trend, curing its own meats,
rolling its bagels and turning out food with only a slight accent:
matzoh ball soup, and smoked duck with peaches and blackberry
gastrique; chopped liver, but also halibut with heirloom tomato
sauce and pea tendrils; gruyere burger with crisped pastrami.
9. The Obsession with Fried Chicken will grow.
Shake Shack made headlines this year with a limited release
of a fairly conventional ChickenShack sandwich. So did David
Chang, with an incendiary sandwich at Fuku, perhaps a nascent
chain. They follow an emerging obsession. No longer just southern,
fried chicken sandwiches have gone creative and ethnic.
In Fuku's case, you're munching on a mammoth boneless thigh
marinated in habanero purée, buttermilk, and Changian spices,
deep-fried and topped with some acidic vegetables. Barbecue
maven Mighty Quinn smokes its thighs before frying and tops
them with fermented chilies-garlic-lime sauce.
Nashville Hot is a cult favorite that's spreading across the country.
It's meant to burn your lips for days on end. Like buffalo wings,
Nashville Hot Chicken is dunked in hot sauce after frying; but it ain't
plain old hot sauce. This is a thermonuclear paste of melted lard,
sugar, sadistic quantities of cayenne, sugar and each chef's secret
spices. It is showing up in fried chicken joints and sitdown
restaurants, including Carla Hall's soon-to-open spot in NYC.
Shaya, a New Orleans venture of Israeli Alon Shaya and multistarred chef John Besh, calls its food "modern Israeli, with roots
across North Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Turkey and
Greece. Little on the menu is geographically specific. Force your
gaze past enticing small plates (five kinds of hummus; foie gras
with rose tahini and carob molasses) and you'll find shakshuka
with local shrimp, and lamb with whipped feta and stone fruit
tabouleh. Esquire named it restaurant of the year.
Plan Check Kitchen+ Bar's fried chicken sandwich is on trend
with current tastes. Photo: Plan Check Kitchen + Bar
22
10. Sometimes heat alone will not be enough.
America's pepperheads are (finally) discovering that heat is not
enough ... that food also has flavors. We're watching an interesting
shift from just-plain-incendiary to aromatic and flavorful spice
blends and sauces, including:
• Piri-piri peppers blended with tamer spices, herbs, citrus peels,
used as bbq rubs or as bases for piquant sauces.
• Sweet-spicy gochujang, a thick Korean bbq sauce made from
malted barley, fermented soybean flour, red pepper and rice flour.
• Shichimi-togarashi, a blend of red chili pepper, black pepper,
sesame seeds, dried orange peel, seaweed flakes and poppy seeds.
Also called Japanese Seven-Spice, it starts out hot then shifts to
complexity, plus a bit of crunch.
• Berbere, a highly fragrant but hot Ethiopian mix makes a great
rub or mix for braised food: cardamom, hot peppers, paprika,
cumin, clove, cinnamon, fenugreek, nutmeg, turmeric, ginger.
11. Snacking will suggest new trending flavors.
We seem to be moving from three meals a day to none!
Snacks are obliterating meals. It's not just Millennials or dashboard
diners; growing numbers of Americans snack four or five times daily.
Snacking increased 47 percent from 2010 to 2014. We raise this point
because snack flavor profiles are changing:
• The ground is shifting away from sweet to savory, and from highcarb to nutrient dense high-protein indulgent snacks. Even when
sweeteners are involved, they're often combined with spicy.
• Spicy-salty-savory ethnic snacks are afternoon favorites and meal
replacements: hummus variations, flavored popcorns (like seaweedand-sesame), chili-citrus potato chips, mango-chili-lime chips.
Spice of the Year: Turmeric
Showing up fresh in health food shops and juice bars, powdered
in supermarkets. It's what makes curry powder yellow, theoretically cures almost everything, and is getting a big play at retail
but hardly showing up on restaurant menus ...yet.
• Sour is replacing sweet. Consumers are seeking deep contrasts to
richness, which explains why fermented condiments (like kimchee
and house-pickled vegetables) are popular on menus. Tart and bitter
is also rising in popularity with new kale, crunchy broccoli and other
vegetable chips.
• Bitter is also gaining momentum, especially in beverages like coffee
and tea.
12. Retailers will renew their attack on restaurants.
In our 2014 forecast we highlighted how U.S. retailers are
building revenue by luring shoppers into stores for snacks
and meals. Retailers, we said, were discovering what we call
the magic of "dwell time" ...the longer you keep a shopper
on the premises, the more the shopper will buy per hour
of stay.
• Outdoor World, owned by Bass Pro Shops, has installed
large-scale Islamadora Fish Co. restaurants in its hunting,
camping and recreation departments.
• Whole Foods just invested in the boutique high-volume
sandwich-salad chain, Mendocino Farms, to help them grow
and will be opening units at select Whole Foods Markets
and their more popularly priced 365 stores.
• Lexus has a lifestyle showroom in Tokyo called Intersect,
with a street-level cafe and a bistro upstairs serving a global
French-Japanese-Mexican mishmash with lots of pretention.
• At their Experience Center in Atlanta, Porsche teams an auto
showroom with an upscale restaurant called 365, serving simple
food with regional accents. It looks onto a driver development
track. Have the pork jowl with white bean purée and collards
for $24. (photo above)
23
S TERLING-RICE GROUP ’S
CULINARY TRENDS FOR 2016
Boy, we sure are digging our food these days! SRG’s 2016 Culinary Trends show that today’s cooks and diners continue to explore, experiment, and
heartily enjoy what’s new in food. And what’s new is often not new at all, but a rediscovered ingredient, drink, or dish that has been refashioned
with contemporary palates in mind. These palates are definitely expanding, turning to more savory compositions and new regional cuisines, while
also gladly accepting familiar foods in delightful new formats. These are all signs that the 2016 dining public is one that understands food better
than ever and is celebrating the many ways we now have to savor it. – Kara Nielsen, Culinary Director, SRG
1
2
SWITCHIN’ TO SWITCHELS
‘ONOLICIOUS HAWAIIAN
With vinegar-based shrubs now
firmly in the beverage pantry,
another colonial refresher beckons:
switchels. Known as haymakers
in New England, this blend of
water, apple ciderr vinegar, gingerr,
and honey, maple syrup, or molasses
traditionally quenched thirsts during
harvest. Today’s switchels—bottled
or homemade —leverage the
health-promoting benefits of
apple cider vinegar with a dash
of American heritage.
•
•
•
•
3
• Restaurant s : Liholiho Yacht
Cl u b , S a n F r a n c i s c o ; N o r e e t u h ,
Manhat tan
• Poké Bowls : Big Daddy’s Poké
Sha c k , L o s A n g e l e s ; M o to ma k i,
Boulder, CO
• M u s u b i : A - F r a m e, L o s A n g e l e s ;
‘Aina pop -up, San Francisco
C i d e R o a d O r g a n i c Sw i t c h e l
U p M o u n t a i n Sw i t c h e l
F i r e Ci d e r
B r a g g O r g a n i c A p p l e Ci d e r
Vinegar Drink s
OYSTERS TO THE RESCUE
With sustainable seafood as
importantt as ever, cultivated
oysters are big heroes. Filling in for
wild oysters struggling in acidified
and warming waterways, farmed
oysters not only do their part
filtering pollutants from our coastal
waterways, they are also fueling an
exciting resurgence of oyster and raw
bars, once staples in American dining.
Expect the burgeoning millennial
taste for oysters to grow in years
to come.
• Boston : Island Creek Oyster Bar,
Selec t Oyster Bar
• Ch a r l e s t o n : T h e O r d i n a r y
• Seat tle : The Walrus and the
Carpenter
• i P h o n e A p p : P e a r l, w i t h d a il y
oyster of ferings in selec t cities
24
Creative, delicious ( ‘ono ) Hawaiian
cuisine is finally making a splash
o n t h e ma i nla n d . I n s p i r e d c h e f s
a r e t r a n sl a t i n g t r a d i t i o n a l i sl a n d
in g r e d ie nt s in t o c o o l n e w d ish e s
in fine dining, while fast- casual
entrepreneurs introduce bowlloving crowds to the joy of poké,
a r aw s e a f o o d s a la d . Eve n S p a m
( sometimes housemade ) is get ting
s o m e l o v e , i n c l a s si c m u s u b i r i c e and-nori wraps and beyond.
4
THE SAVORY
SIDE OF YOGURT
We c a n p r o b a b l y t h a n k O t t o l e n g h i
for our growing excitement about
la b n e h , t h e t hic k , s alt e d M i d d l e
E as t e r n yo g u r t . Bu t it als o m e sh e s
w it h o u r e f f o r t s t o r e d uce su g a r
and savor more Mid dle Easter n
c u i si n e. O f t e n s e r ve d w i t h
o li ve o il , s p ic e s a n d s e e d s , a n d
flat bread , labneh also plays well
w it h ve g e t a b l e s , g rain s ala d s , a n d
roaste d f ruit .
• New York: Sohha Savor y Yogur t;
White Mustache Labneh; The
Chaat Co Savor y Yogur t Snack
• National : Karoun Dairies Labne
• On the Menu : Evo Kitchen + Bar,
Por tland, ME; Madcapra, Loos
Angeles; Shaya, New Orleans
5
COFFEE’S NEW GUISES
Goodbye, Caffè Latte. Hello, Coffee
Mocktail. And Soda. And Shrub.
Coffee on nitro tap; dry-hopped
coffee on nitro tap. Coffee cherry
brews. Coffee butter brews. There’s
no end to the creative libations
coming our way from inventive
baristas. With an unprecedented
groundswell of fantastic coffee, plus a
plethora of beautifully designed coffee
bars, it’s no wonder there are so many
new coffee concoctions for every hour
of the day.
• Cascara (Cof fee Fruit Infusions) :
Pixán, Boulder, CO ; Slingshhot
Cof fee Co., Raleigh, NC
• Mocktails: Cold Fashioned at Cup
& Bar, Por tland, OR
• Sodas: Café Tonic at Saint Frank
Cof fee, San Francisco
• Unique Brews: Cor vus Hopped
Cof fee, Denver; Stumptown Nitro
Cold Brew in cans
6
8
7
SWIGGABLE SOUPS
PUMPED-UP PORRIDGE
One step beyond all those fancy
pressed juices comes bottled
sippable soups. We’re not talkiing
chicken noodle, but rather bright
and spicy gazpachos, creamy
coconut cauliflower, and even
mushroom-based broths. Savor
oy
flavors, more fiber, and, of course,
por tabilit y make nutrient-rich
bottled soups a convenient graband-go meal (or even a handy
cleanse) and without the sugar
off juices.
Porridge is making a comeback,
thanks to the ever-widening
selection of grains and seeds—
ancient and other wise — chefs
are discovering. Porridges made
of r ye, spelt, black rice, or quinoa
feature some sweet but mostly
savor y toppings like mushrooms
m,
vegetables, smoked fish, and eggs.
Some tilt toward congee, others
toward oatmeal, and still others
ser ve as side dishes. We’ll all be
wanting some more, please.
• Mucho Gazpacho: Bravo Tomato,
Green Gazpacho, Beet Gazpacho
• Tío Gazpacho: Clásico, Verde, de Sol
• Splendid Spoon: Cauliflower Coconut
Soup, Vegan Bone Broth
• Los Angeles: Porridge and Puf fs
pop-up; Wanderlust Café
• Brooklyn : Faro
• Chicago: 42 Grams
9
INTENSIFIED DESSERT
M i s o . M a l t . R i c o t t a w h e y? C o r n husk ash?? These ingredient s and
more are turning up in surprising
p la c e s , na m e l y d e s s e r t . Pa s t r y
chefs, ice cream makers, and
co nf e c t io n e r s ar e t a p pin g au
c o u r a n t c u li n a r y t r i c k s ( b r o w n i n g ,
burning, smoking ) and flavor ful
ingredient s ( dair y whey, malt ,
u ma mi - r ic h mis o p as t e ) t o a d d
sophisticated taste dimensions
n
b e y o n d j u s t s w e e t t o o u r f avo r i t e
d e s s e r t s an d t r eat s .
• Charlot tesville, VA : Miso
Caramels, Gearhar t s Fine
Chocolates
• M a n h a t t a n : M i s o Ch e r r y I c e
Cr e a m , O d d F e l l o w s I c e Cr e a m
Co . ; Co r n H u s k M e r i n g u e , Co s m e
• S a n Fr a n c is c o : B r o w n B u t te r I c e
Cream, Rich Table
PASS THE PLATTER
10
The latest way to dine? Familys t y l e m e als ma d e of ce nt e r pie ce
proteins — whole fish or chickens,
piles of ribs — and accompanying
si d e s . O r j u s t a w h o l e m e n u o f
d i s h e s m e a n t f o r t h e t a b l e t o s h a r e.
C h e f s t o d a y a r e h av i n g f u n c o o k i n g
larger cut s of meat and prepaaring
beautiful plat ters of goodies.
D i n e r s c a n r e la x i n t o a n e w
c o nv i v ia l s p i r i t a t t h e t a b l e w h e r e
one doesn’t have to share a small
plate anymore.
• San Francisco: Mourad; Hawker
Fare; The Progress
• Atlanta: King and Duke; Ladybird
Grove and Mess Hall
• Washington, DC: Maketto;
Provision No. 14
MAIL-ORDER
MEAL MANIA
Okay, so mail has nothing to do with
it. Overnight deliver y does, and apps
and Silicon Valley investments. Get
ready for the continued exploosion
of meal-kit-deliver y ser vices v ying
for your dining dollar. While the
big meal-kit companies expannd
nationally, local ser vices tap new
niches, like paleo meals or Southern
cuisine. Competition will get fierce
with delivered groceries and readyto-eat meals also in the fray, yet all
that packaging remains a pitfall.
• National: Blue Apron; HelloFresh;
Plated
• Lifestyle /Diet: Farm to Fit, Portland,
OR; PlateJoy, San Francisco
• Mission-Driven: Cooking
Simplified, Berkeley, CA
• Delivered Meals: Maple,
Manhattan; SpoonRocket,
San Francisco
Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, Sterling-Rice Group (SRG) is a nationally recognized
brand-building firm that creates an
a d activates brands. SRG specializes in consumer insights,
business strategy, innovation, advertising and design, and promotes the grow th of living-well
brands that make people’s lives healthier and happier. SRG has been named by Outside
Magazine as one of the Best Places to Work for the last four years and has been creating
positive impact for 30 years. Visit srg.com for more information.
25
10 Food & Restaurant Trends
www.forbes.com
Nov. 23, 2015 Article by Andrew Bender
Fried chicken and all-day breakfast are just two of the top emerging food and restaurant trends on the annual Seat 1A Food Trend List.
This year’s trend list began with 22 concepts based on ideas and observations from restaurants all over the U.S., and was culled down
to ten with the help of an esteemed panel of culinary experts:
• Christine Couvelier, culinary executive, executive chef and culinary trendologist. She has worked in numerous corporate and culinary
executive positions and runs her B.C.-based consulting company, Culinary Concierge.
• Jason Kessler, founder of FlyandDine.com and a contributor to American Way, Sunset, Los Angeles Magazine and more.
• Robin Selden, managing partner and executive chef of Connecticut-based Marcia Selden Catering, 2015 Chef of the Year nominee and
board member of the International Caterers Association. The company produces over 2,000 events annually.
• Mike Thelin, food industry expert and festival creator, co-founder and co-owner of Feast Portland, one of the country’s most
highly-regarded food festivals.
• Bret Thorn, senior food and beverage editor at the trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News.
1. All-Day Breakfast
It was big news when McDonald’s announced this year that many
of its restaurants would serve breakfast all day. “The traditional meal
periods have been gradually disintegrating over the past decade,”
says Bret Thorn of Nation’s Restaurant News, “as fewer people eat
breakfast, lunch and dinner and more people graze as their whims
and schedules permit.” He calls meals at alternative times of day
“simultaneously subversive and comforting.”
But it’s not just fast food: all-day breakfast is advantageous for fancier
restaurants too. “Food costs (eggs, flour, milk) are very low and
satisfaction level is high,” Thorn says, though he notes that restaurants
doing all-day breakfast will benefit from a liquor license. “People like
mimosas and bloody Marys with breakfast.”
Mike Thelin of Feast Portland, for one, is happy with this change.
“I will eat bacon and eggs for any meal of the day. Glad to know
I’m not alone. Breakfast for dinner is always special, so I’m surprised
this trend took so long to land.”
That said, says Thorn, “We’re not sure yet how McDonald’s all-day
breakfast will pan out. Several other fast food chains, including Sonic
Drive-In and Jack in the Box have been offering all-day breakfast
for years.”
2. Rice Bowls
“Rice bowls have been a staple in Asia for decades, and they fit into
the way Americans eat perfectly,” says FlyandDine.com’s Jason Kessler.
“Lots of flavors mixed together in a convenient format.”
“I don’t know why, but people seem to think food is better for you
if you put it in a bowl,” says Bret Thorn. “I guess it does limit how much
food you can eat in one sitting. There’s also something comforting
about a meal in a bowl, and possibly an antidote for all those
shared plates.”
3. Fried Chicken / Fried Chicken Sandwiches
The lowly fried chicken has become the new object of everyone’s
affection. “Fried chicken is the new pork belly!” proclaims Christine
Couvelier of Culinary Concierge.
“Americans love fried chicken,” says Bret Thorn of Nation’s Restaurant
News, “and especially boneless fried chicken in the form of fried
breast in a sandwich or faux wings.” Apart from the taste factor,
“Beef prices are at or near record highs,” which for the restaurant
industry “makes chicken a more desirable thing to sell.”
“Who needs a McChicken when you can get a perfectly fried breast
on a real bun that’s not made with all kinds of chemicals?” asks Jason
Kessler of Fly & Dine.
Among quick service restaurants, Panera and Del Taco have recently
added bowls, and Chipotle has been rolling out its ShopHouse
subsidiary, which puts Southeast Asian ingredients and preparations
on top of rice (or noodles or salad greens).
Breakfast All Day
is Here to Stay!
Low food cost and high
customer satisfaction make
catering to customer whims
fun and profitable.
26
4. Poke
This Hawaiian specialty may be the next in a long history
of trend-making with raw fish (think sushi, ceviche and fish tartare).
Poke (also spelled “poki”) features diced raw fish and/or seafood,
often seasoned with soy sauce and/or sesame oil and tossed with
anything from sea salt to minced green onion, seaweed, sesame
seeds and diced jalapeño.
6. Shakshuka
It’s early but growing stages for this deceptively simple but still
impressive looking and deeply satisfying dish of North African origin:
eggs poached over a compote of stewed bell pepper and tomato,
with cumin, parsley and other herbs and spices. From its home
countries of Libya and Tunisia, it’s made its way stateside largely
by way of Israel, where it’s popular for breakfast and lunch.
“Our clients travel all over the world and always look to us to give
them new and exciting foods that are clean and healthy, too,”
says Robin Selden of Marcia Selden catering, which offers
a make-your-own poke bar.
“Fabulous flavors!!!” raves Christine Couvelier.
In restaurants, poke seems to be more an emerging trend than
an established one. Bret Thorn notes that it’s really strongest
in Los Angeles, where “lots of national trends start.”
Sweetfin and Wiki Poki in L.A. have a local following. But, he says,
“I think we still need to see a catalyst that will get poke exposed
to the rest of the county.”
5. Chef-Driven Food Delivery Service
“We’re a lazy nation,” says Jason Kessler. “We want a chef to cook
for us without [our] having to put on pants.”
But there’s a huge difference between the traditional ordering-in
(pizza, Chinese, Thai, etc.) and the current trend: High end restaurants
and chefs are increasingly getting into the act. Christine Couvelier
calls them “Chefpreneurs, chefs defining themselves as retail
products and brands. Watch for many, many more.”
“In the past, most of the food delivery services were more about
delivery infrastructure than food quality,” says Mike Thelin.
“Speedy and streamlined delivery technology is giving chefs new
markets for their food,” says Bret Thorn, especially for Millennials
and professionals.
Think of Munchery (the San Francisco-based, app-based food delivery
startup), Uber Food (which delivers meals from well known restaurants
by Uber cars) or Maple (the new delivery service spearheaded by New
York-based celebrity chef David Chang, of Momofuku, etc.).
“It’s a somewhat exotic menu item, but it’s eggs, so it’s also approachable,” says Bret Thorn. “Although an increasing number of consumers
seek culinary adventure, very few want to be scared by their food.
Eggs are not scary.”
Couvelier also likes its flexibility. Although these days it can be found
mostly at restaurants, shakshuka “also is possible for consumers to
create at home.”
7. Tweaked Ice Cream Sandwiches
“All over the frickin’ place,” exclaims Bret Thorn, crediting the L.A.
food truck turned brick-and-mortar shop (and now retail supplier)
Coolhaus with starting the trend of unconventional ice cream
between unconventional ingredients.
“Cookies are great and all, but churros [pictured below] and donuts
are even better,” says Jason Kessler.
Christine Couvelier advises “Look for ice cream between waffles,
snickerdoodles, brownies, Whoopie Pies, grilled cheese (yes, really),
Rice Krispies squares made into cookies and more. Watch for more
savory artisan ice cream as well: sweet potato ice cream, popcorn ice
cream…”
“Our most popular sandwich is the coconut macaroon with chocolate
almond ice cream,” says Robin Selden. “We also do a very popular
salted caramel French macaron with caramel popcorn and bacon
ice cream.”
(Forbes Top 10 List continues on following page)
Case in point: Robin Selden herself. “While I cook the most incredible
foods for my clients, I never have time to worry about myself.
Most times I’m eating a bowl of Cheerios when I get home from work
at 1 a.m.” She has been getting meals delivered from her “friend and
fellow chef,” Rocco DiSpirito, from his Pound a Day Diet meal plan.
TRENDING: Rice Bowls (as well as other meals-in-a-bowl), a North African dish called Shakshuka, made with poached eggs, stewed bell
pepper and tomato, and unconventional ice cream sandwiches are just a few of the emerging trends to watch for on U.S. menus in 2016.
27
Forbes Restaurant Trends (continued from previous page)
8. Quick Service Outlets by Famous Chefs
More and more fine-dining chefs are getting into the multiple
location, quick-service restaurant business. Mike Thelin calls this
“the future of food.”
Although this trend seems to have broken out in the last year or two,
it’s not exactly new. Bret Thorn puts its origin back in 2003, “when
Tom Colicchio [of Craft] opened ’wichcraft, a sandwich chain using
the same ingredients he was sourcing for his fine dining restaurant.”
Others cite Wolfgang Puck Express (which debuted in 1991),
Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack (2004) and Bobby Flay’s Bobby’s Burger
Palace (2008).
Whenever it started, the expansion activity’s gone into hyperdrive
since 2014. Among the other celebrity chefs: Richard Blais
(FLIP Burger Boutique), Sean Brock (Minero in Charleston, S.C.),
Rick Bayless (Tortas Frontera, Xoco) and Brooks Headley
(the all-vegetarian Superiority Burger). On deck: Cape Seafood
& Provisions, from Michael Cimarusti of L.A.’s consistently
top-rated Providence restaurant.
What’s behind this trend? “The farm-to-table chef movement introduced diners to an entirely new vocabulary, cast of ingredients,
creativity and ideals toward quality and sourcing,” says Mike Thelin.
“That changed everything we thought we knew about food.
Diners now want great chef-driven food three meals a day,
seven days a week, and even at fast food restaurants.”
10. On the Horizon - Indian Flavors
“The flavors of India are so rich and varied that chefs should be
salivating to incorporate them into their arsenal,” says Jason Kessler.
“Akasha Richmond is doing wonderful things at Sambar in Culver
City, Calif. with classic Indian ingredients used in fascinating ways.”
“I do think that more regional specific Indian cuisine is showing
up as consumers are becoming more familiar with Indian spices
and dishes,” says Christine Couvelier.
Bret Thorn cites fast-casual Indian places like Soho Tiffin Junction
in New York, Kasa in San Francisco, and Chai Pani in Decatur, Ga. and
Asheville, N.C. Sambar’s crosstown compatriot, Downtown L.A.’s
Badmaash, has been tweaking Indian flavors with the likes of a spicy
lamb burger and chicken tikka poutine since 2013.
However, Thorn cautions, “I’ve been in my job for 16 years and people
have been swearing that whole time that Indian cuisine was about
to be the next big thing. We’re still waiting for Indian cuisine,
in any form, to do something like what Korean food has done
in recent years.”
Tune in next year and find out.
Not to mention that it’s profitable. Bret Thorn notes that selling
quality casual meals to the masses can make chefs “a lot more
money than if they sell $250 tasting menus to a few people.”
9. The End of Tipping
The restaurant industry’s biggest bombshell of the season, if not the
year, came when New York’s Union Square Hospitality Group, run
by Danny Meyer, announced that it would end tipping and raise
menu prices to compensate waitstaff for the foregone income.
Other chefs, including Tom Colicchio, are following suit.
“Danny Meyer didn’t start the trend,” says Mike Thelin, “but USHG’s
scrapping of tipping is a huge moment in the evolution and
a validation and sign of the times.”
Tom Colicchio’s ‘wichcraft was a key milestone in chefs doing
quick service.
“It’s about time we moved to a more European model,” says Kessler,
“where servers make a living wage and don’t just treat serving jobs
like a way to make cash in between acting gigs.”
It’s not just consumers and restaurant geeks who are demanding
a change to tipping policy. “With labor costs going up, particularly
in the form of minimum wage, restaurants are facing financial
challenges that threaten to upset restaurants’ economic models,”
says Bret Thorn.
“I believe that tipping will one day be the exception, not the rule,”
says Mike Thelin.
Christine Couvelier calls Meyer’s move “a very important statement
about the value that should be placed on the craft of hospitality.”
Naysayers fear that without the motivation of a tip, restaurant staff
will feel less obligated to provide good service. And Couvelier warns
that as prices rise to adjust to the no-tipping policy, “The ‘value’ has
to be there,” from the greeting, to the service to the taste.
Chicken tikka poutine (left) and spicy lamb burger (right) crown
this mashup photo from Badmaash in Downtown Los Angeles.
28
IFT Predicts 2016 Trends
ingredientsnetwork.com Jan. 4, 2016
The editors at Food Technology magazine, published by the Institute of Food Technologists,
have announced their predictions on hot food trends for 2016 – from clean labels in fine
dining to increasing focus on food safety.
Clean Labels Spread to Fine Dining
2015 was marked by many major food companies, in addition to
fast-food and fast-casual restaurants, announcing the “healthification”
of their menus through the banning of artificial ingredients and/or
additives. In 2016, we can expect to see this effect “trickle up” to fine
dining/sit-down restaurants where consumers are going to demand
more than “locally produced” or “made in house” to signify a holistic
approach to health.
—Kelly Hensel, Senior Digital Editor
The Intersection of Health and Convenience
Foods and beverages that deliver on both health and convenience
will proliferate and gain wider distribution as consumers look for
easy ways to incorporate more good-for-you products into their
lives. Think portion-controlled snacks and ready-to-eat salad kits
complete with slightly exotic ingredients like hemp seeds and
edamame. We’ll see more of these kinds of products on retail
shelves as entrepreneurs continue to get creative and major food
companies acquire or partner with innovative niche marketers.
—Mary Ellen Kuhn, Executive Editor
Cleaner Labels
More than ever, consumers are pushing food manufacturers
to use ingredients to produce products with so-called clean labels.
Ingredient manufacturers have stepped up and now offer ingredients
that are naturally derived, minimally processed, organic, and not
genetically modified—all of which food manufacturers use to
formulate clean label products.
—Karen Nachay, Senior Editor
Less Is More
Food manufacturers will have to continue to make food products
that are less processed as consumers demand more transparency
and foods that are closer to their natural state.
—Toni Tarver, Senior Writer/Editor
Morally Conscious Foods
Increasing emphasis on conscious living will lead to a new category
of foods—morally conscious foods. From farm to fork, these foods,
their production methods, and the companies manufacturing them
will align closely with consumers’ moral values.
—Tara McHugh, Contributing Editor, Processing
Smartphone Staple
Just like a knife and fork, your smartphone will become an indispensable utensil for eating and dining in 2016. It can order and
purchase food, find grocery and restaurant deals, count calories,
provide nutrition knowhow, suggest recipes, replace mom for
cooking advice, share memorable culinary experiences, connect
farmers with retailers and restaurants, and reduce food waste
through redirecting surpluses to those in need.
—Bob Swientek, Editor in Chief
The Packaging Connection
Foodies have long been interested in the backstory behind the
foods they choose, but recent technologies have made it more
possible than ever to bring this kind of information to the everyday
consumer. In 2016, this trend will continue to grow, with packaging
innovations allowing consumers to interact with products both
on the shelf and when they get them home. Packaging technologies
will also make it easier than ever for consumers to reorder their
favorite items at the touch of a button.
—Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, Associate Editor
Gourmet Convenience
With 48 million time-strapped Americans describing themselves as
foodies, gourmet convenience will be among the new megatrends.
—A. Elizabeth Sloan, Contributing Editor, Consumer Trends
Generational Nutrition
Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials will continue to play a role
in popular nutritional trends as well as product labeling.
Baby Boomers want to lead lives full of energy and mental focus.
Generation Xers are concerned not only with their own health, but with
the health of their children. Immune health will continue to be a trend
as this generation understands the link between immunity and
overall wellness.
Millennials tend to be more focused on labels and natural foods,
so being transparent—not only in terms of healthful ingredients
but also in terms of how the foods and beverages are made—will be
important. Information is key to all generations, so communicating
science-based information in an understandable way will be critical in
upholding the credibility of products focused on health and wellness.
—Linda Ohr, Contributing Editor, Nutraceuticals
Focus on Food Safety
Researchers, food manufacturers, regulatory agencies, and suppliers
will continue to focus attention on pathogens, developing new and
improved methods of analysis, instruments, detection supplies, and
specific applications. Efforts will continue on improving traceability
of ingredients and products and harmonizing standards internationally.
Food companies will be very involved in meeting the requirements
of the Food and Drug Administration's final regulations implementing
the Food Safety Modernization Act.
––Neil H. Mermelstein, Editor Emeritus
29
Food and drink trends of the future
www.foodbev.com Sept. 8, 2015
The Innovation Group, the innovation and futurism unit of J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, has predicted some of the key trends for the food
and beverage industry of the future. In its latest trends report, which also includes statistical data from Sonar, it made findings such as that
more than half of US and UK Millennials use technology like apps and wearables to maintain a healthy diet.
Innovation Group worldwide director Lucie Greene said: “Today’s food and drink consumers are more sophisticated than ever before.
Our research shows that both US and UK consumers are placing increasing importance on food and drink as an experiential luxury and
reflection of their personal identity. We also found that Millennials, despite their well-documented economic challenges, are demanding
higher-quality food, visual stimulation, and technologically enhanced experiences.”
Food and health coming together
Health-conscious Millennials are gravitating toward
healthier mixers and combining exercise with hedonism when
it comes to alcohol.
Greene said: “We’re seeing a big convergence between
categories and treatments in food and drink – it’s fueling not
only creativity but also inspiring a raft of new hybrid categories.
In our Culinary Cocktails trend, we look at how increasingly the
mixologist world is borrowing from Michelin starred chefs
to innovate – using fat washes and sous vide treatments.
Beauty and food categories are also borrowing from each other.
Hemsley + Hemsley are creating rich desserts made from
coconut oil and avocado, extolling the virtues not just for
health, but skin and nails. New food products are appearing
with skincare and well-being language or properties. You’re also
seeing new players enter the food space. Farfetch, a fashion
retailer, launching Farfetch Curates Food is a testament to how
food and fashion are increasingly intertwined in the minds and
passions of consumers.”
Sharing our food with others
Awash with food imagery on social media platforms
such as Instagram, consumers are gravitating towards
increasingly surprising and compelling food imagery that
aims more for the mind than the stomach, the Innovation
Group claimed. 72% of British and American Millennials are
likely to share pictures of their food and drink if it is different
or unique, compared with just 22% of Baby Boomers.
“After years of over-laboured ‘artisan’ and visceral rustic
‘food porn’ imagery, we’re seeing a new modern, playful,
quite irreverent approach to food and drink emerging.
New environments are moving beyond ‘authentic craft’ visual
cues to embrace new clean, futuristic, colourful stylings.
Creative food photographers are presenting food in
unexpected, graphic and surreal ways,” said Lucie Greene.
Cannabis in beverages
A wave of marijuana legalisation in the U.S. has freed
beverage startups to experiment with tetrahydrocannabinol
infusions, as well as non-intoxicating hemp concoctions.
Nearly three quarters of consumers surveyed across Millennial,
Generation X and Boomer generations agree that marijuana will
be as socially acceptable as alcohol over the next decade.
30
Technology changing the way we eat
Ordering takeaways on a smartphone is old news, the
Innovation Group said. The future promises curated delivery,
delivery-only restaurants and even zero-cost delivery by self-driving
car. But ordering food on your smartphone has its place in the
evolution of ordering technology – the company cited research
showing that more than 60% of UK Millennials agreed that online
food delivery services made meal preparation much easier for them,
compared with only 21% of Boomers, as evidence of this.
Last month, we reported on a survey that claimed the way in which
we ordered food was directly influencing the cuisines we opted
to eat. The researchers said that “more traditional takeaways such
as fish and chips and Chinese are missing out – as a lack of delivery
services and online ordering deter the next generation
of takeaway consumers.”
And Lucie Greene added: “Like most aspects of our lives now,
food and drink is being affected by new strides in technology –
from clever kitchens that can create menus for us intuitively based
on leftover ingredients on our kitchen table; to image-sensitive apps
that can assess the nutritional value of a piece of food from a photo;
to a proliferation of food delivery apps that bring gourmet, curated,
vegan and personalized menus to our doors within 30 minutes.
Social media and digital sharing platforms meanwhile are providing
a rich plethora of instant, detailed information about sourcing and
ingredients, meaning that all our food choices will become much
more informed and, not only that, regulated by the crowd.
Brands will have to embrace a new era of ultra-transparency
or risk being caught out.”
The rise of “post-artisan”
The cloying cocktails of the 1970s and ’80s – long
considered passé – are now making a comeback, as mixologists
reinvent them for sophisticated, modern palates.
“Cocktail classics of yesteryear, long relegated to the dustbin
of cheesy nightclubs, are being reinvented with a gourmet twist,
unapologetically celebrating the synthetic hues of retro
ingredients such as crème de menthe and blue curaçao.
Meanwhile, even the wine category is being treated with a wink:
see hit Instagrammer The Fat Jew… and his hit sensation White
Girl Rosé, which launched this year.”
Mintel identifies emerging trends
www.foodbusinessnews.net
Oct. 21, 2015 Article by Keith Nunez
Mintel International’s Global Food and Drinks Trends 2016 report
identifies new ways North American consumers may be approaching
diet, sustainability and their perception of innovation. Five emerging
trends highlighted by the market research company include
Diet by D.N.A., Eco is the New Reality, From the Inside Out, Fat Sheds
Stigma, and Eat With Your Eyes.
Three of the trends, Diet by D.N.A., From the Inside Out, and Fat Sheds
Stigma, all relate to how consumer perception of health and wellness
may be changing.
“Interest in natural and ‘getting back to basics’ has boosted ancient
grains and superfoods, fostering a principle that age-old staples are
better than today’s manufactured options,” said Jenny Zegler, global
food and drink analyst for Mintel, of the Diet by D.N.A. trend.
“Interest in historical ingredients suggests that consumers may try
to unlock the keys to their personal physiology and design diets by
connecting with their own ancestry or genetic make-up.”
Along the same lines, consumers are recognizing that diets may
connect with the way they look and feel, according to Mintel.
The From the Inside Out trend places new emphasis on packaged
foods and beverages that are formulated to help people’s physical
appearance as well as their personal wellness, and creating a market
for products featuring such ingredients as probiotics and collagen.
“Consumers’ negative stereotype that any and all fat content is evil
has begun to diminish,” Ms. Zegler said. “The awareness of the many
sources of good and bad fats is ushering in a paradigm shift in which
fat content is not the first and foremost consideration — and barrier
— in the search for healthy products.”
Ms. Zegler added that consumer perceptions related to sustainability
also are shifting as more people learn about the issues associated
with the drought in California and food waste.
“Drought, worries about food waste and other natural phenomena
not only affect the worldwide food and drink supply, but influence
preparation and production,” she said. “In 2016, sustainability evolves
from being good for the bottom line to being a necessary part
of new product development for the common good.”
Finally, Ms. Zegler pointed out that while taste is still the primary
driver of food and beverage demand, social media applications also
may be exerting greater influence on consumer choice.
“Flavor has long been the core of innovation, but more visual and
share-focused societies call for innovation that is boldly colored and
artfully constructed,” she said. “Finding inspiration in global food
service offerings, brands can experiment with vibrant colors and
novel shapes to make packaged products worthy of consumer
praise and social media posts.”
The Mintel report also makes it clear consumers are paying attention
to news about the benefits of some types of fat.
Novel protein sources, fat and
more natural, less-processed
foods will appeal to more
consumers in 2016.
Download Mintel’s 78-page
2016 Consumer Trends Report
for free at www.mintel.com
31
Highlights of our 2016 Top Ten are below. Visit getflavor.com for
the stories behind each trend, and the insight and information
you’ll use to make menu decisions for the coming year.
getflavor.com Jan. 8, 2016