It’s Time for the National Restaurant Association Show

Chef Rick Bayless conducts a demonstration at a previous NRA show. For years The Food Channel has covered the National Restaurant Association Show. It’s one of the leading shows that helps introduce new products, connect industry personnel, and …

Chef Rick Bayless conducts a demonstration at a previous NRA show.

For years The Food Channel has covered the National Restaurant Association Show. It’s one of the leading shows that helps introduce new products, connect industry personnel, and identify the future of food and everything to do with food—the equipment, the suppliers, the services and more. If you work in the industry or just want to attend and sample some of the delicacies showcased, here’s the information.

First, the National Restaurant Association Show will be held May 20-23 in Chicago. They are promising a record-breaking 42 Food and Beverage (FABI) Awardees, including eight FABI Favorites.

While you can sample from the booths in the Exhibit Hall, there are also formal Sessions and Tastings. Plus, they are offering a new Connections space (located in The Culinary Experience) throughout the Show to learn more about the awardees.

The show slowed a bit during the pandemic, but it’s exciting to see it back to full life! Check it out and let us know what you see.

If you haven’t already, register today to celebrate and report on these 42 extraordinary food and beverage products that are breaking new ground in flavor profiles, creativity, packaging, and profit potential!

The Flavors of Fall—Beyond Pumpkin and Pecan

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong-but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate. Natalia Y//Unsplash Tier …

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong—but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate.

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash
Natalia Y//Unsplash

Tier two ingredients include caramel, pomegranate, sweet potato, and honey. These are flavors we are already incorporating into our cooking on a regular basis, and they will be the flavors that evoke fall for our children for years to come.

For at least the last five years, we have been seeing more and more recipes featuring butternut squash, walnut, and stronger vegetable flavors such as Brussel Sprouts. More recently, emerging ingredients include maple, cardamom, harissa (a blend of hot chiles, garlic and more), ginger, and baharat (a blend of Middle Eastern spices).

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash
Calum Lewis//Unsplash

Without question, our palates are handling hotter spices and are willing to be a bit more adventurous. We’re watching ghost pepper, more varieties of balsamic vinegar, and stronger flavors such as anise pop up in recipes and on cooking websites.

We’re also embracing flavors that tend to help even things out, like jicama and pear, plantain and pineapple and — have you noticed? — orange seems to be an ingredient in everything.

If you want to branch out and experience some of these flavors, consider one of the following recipes.

CARROT GINGER SOUP

Carrot-Ginger-Soup

APRICOT SCONES WITH MAPLE-GINGER GLAZE

Apricot scones with maple ginger glaze

Brussels Sporuts Balsamic

The Flavors of Fall—Beyond Pumpkin and Pecan

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong-but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate. Natalia Y//Unsplash Tier …

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong—but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate.

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash
Natalia Y//Unsplash

Tier two ingredients include caramel, pomegranate, sweet potato, and honey. These are flavors we are already incorporating into our cooking on a regular basis, and they will be the flavors that evoke fall for our children for years to come.

For at least the last five years, we have been seeing more and more recipes featuring butternut squash, walnut, and stronger vegetable flavors such as Brussel Sprouts. More recently, emerging ingredients include maple, cardamom, harissa (a blend of hot chiles, garlic and more), ginger, and baharat (a blend of Middle Eastern spices).

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash
Calum Lewis//Unsplash

Without question, our palates are handling hotter spices and are willing to be a bit more adventurous. We’re watching ghost pepper, more varieties of balsamic vinegar, and stronger flavors such as anise pop up in recipes and on cooking websites.

We’re also embracing flavors that tend to help even things out, like jicama and pear, plantain and pineapple and — have you noticed? — orange seems to be an ingredient in everything.

If you want to branch out and experience some of these flavors, consider one of the following recipes.

CARROT GINGER SOUPCarrot-Ginger-Soup

APRICOT SCONES WITH MAPLE-GINGER GLAZEApricot scones with maple ginger glaze

Brussels Sporuts Balsamic

Made with American Lamb stew meat in your slow cooker, it's seasoned with chard, onion, garlic, cardamom and pepper. After cooking for a short time, you add squash, apple cider, a cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cloves to simmer for 6-8 hours. 
Cider-Braised Lamb Shoulder. Photo: American Lamb Board.

The Flavors of Fall—Beyond Pumpkin and Pecan

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong-but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate. Natalia Y//Unsplash Tier …

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong—but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate.

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash
Natalia Y//Unsplash

Tier two ingredients include caramel, pomegranate, sweet potato, and honey. These are flavors we are already incorporating into our cooking on a regular basis, and they will be the flavors that evoke fall for our children for years to come.

For at least the last five years, we have been seeing more and more recipes featuring butternut squash, walnut, and stronger vegetable flavors such as Brussel Sprouts. More recently, emerging ingredients include maple, cardamom, harissa (a blend of hot chiles, garlic and more), ginger, and baharat (a blend of Middle Eastern spices).

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash
Calum Lewis//Unsplash

Without question, our palates are handling hotter spices and are willing to be a bit more adventurous. We’re watching ghost pepper, more varieties of balsamic vinegar, and stronger flavors such as anise pop up in recipes and on cooking websites.

We’re also embracing flavors that tend to help even things out, like jicama and pear, plantain and pineapple and — have you noticed? — orange seems to be an ingredient in everything.

If you want to branch out and experience some of these flavors, consider one of the following recipes.

CARROT GINGER SOUPCarrot-Ginger-Soup

APRICOT SCONES WITH MAPLE-GINGER GLAZEApricot scones with maple ginger glaze

Brussels Sporuts Balsamic

Made with American Lamb stew meat in your slow cooker, it's seasoned with chard, onion, garlic, cardamom and pepper. After cooking for a short time, you add squash, apple cider, a cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cloves to simmer for 6-8 hours. 
Cider-Braised Lamb Shoulder. Photo: American Lamb Board.

The Flavors of Fall—Beyond Pumpkin and Pecan

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong-but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate. Natalia Y//Unsplash Tier …

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong—but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate.

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash
Natalia Y//Unsplash

Tier two ingredients include caramel, pomegranate, sweet potato, and honey. These are flavors we are already incorporating into our cooking on a regular basis, and they will be the flavors that evoke fall for our children for years to come.

For at least the last five years, we have been seeing more and more recipes featuring butternut squash, walnut, and stronger vegetable flavors such as Brussel Sprouts. More recently, emerging ingredients include maple, cardamom, harissa (a blend of hot chiles, garlic and more), ginger, and baharat (a blend of Middle Eastern spices).

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash
Calum Lewis//Unsplash

Without question, our palates are handling hotter spices and are willing to be a bit more adventurous. We’re watching ghost pepper, more varieties of balsamic vinegar, and stronger flavors such as anise pop up in recipes and on cooking websites.

We’re also embracing flavors that tend to help even things out, like jicama and pear, plantain and pineapple and — have you noticed? — orange seems to be an ingredient in everything.

If you want to branch out and experience some of these flavors, consider one of the following recipes.

CARROT GINGER SOUPCarrot-Ginger-Soup

APRICOT SCONES WITH MAPLE-GINGER GLAZEApricot scones with maple ginger glaze

Brussels Sporuts Balsamic

Made with American Lamb stew meat in your slow cooker, it's seasoned with chard, onion, garlic, cardamom and pepper. After cooking for a short time, you add squash, apple cider, a cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cloves to simmer for 6-8 hours. 
Cider-Braised Lamb Shoulder. Photo: American Lamb Board.

2021 Top Ten Food Trends

The Food Channel, in conjunction with our sister insights company, WHYSDOM, has been reporting on food trends for more than 30 years. In spite of the many, many changes seen in 2020-or, perhaps, because of them-it seem important to keep publishing …

The Food Channel, in conjunction with our sister insights company, WHYSDOM, has been reporting on food trends for more than 30 years. In spite of the many, many changes seen in 2020—or, perhaps, because of them—it seem important to keep publishing them and looking forward to what’s to come.

First, a quick review of the 2020 trends. We couldn’t foresee the pandemic, but we did call out the need for operators and consumers alike to be ready to adapt to new technology, the rise of data, and the need to address foodwaste and sustainability. We said customer innovation and customer service would be front and center, and we even said this: We believe 2020 will be spent reaching an understanding of how to work well with others.”

Well, 2020 has certainly been a year of adaptation, and we’ve learned more about all of those things: tech, data, foodwaste, sustainability…and add in supply chain, use of tech for communications and education, health tracking, and more. While our “understanding of how to work well with others” may be “through Zoom,” there has definitely been a focus on interpersonal relationships and how to develop them without physical presence.

So, what are the top ten things we’re thinking about for 2021?

Continuing to adapt to a COVID world, with more knowledge about immunity, healthy patterns, and how germs are spread. From a food standpoint, this includes absorbing a lot of innovation in how foods are delivered, with a new way to look at farm-to-table from a safety standpoint all the way to curbside/drive-thru/outdoor dining. Restaurant redesign is front and center, to allow for physical distancing and yet still find a profit margin.

Sidewalk/outdoor seating design is under review, knowing that cities may not be able to permanently give up parking spots to accommodate fresh air dining—and that it doesn’t always work in cold weather. QSRs are adding drive thrus and drive thrus are adding walk-ups and everyone’s experience looks a little different. We’ll sort out the good ideas from the placeholders and see what sticks.

In the meantime, employee care has become a problem for everyone, as customers learn to generously tip and employees cross-train to stay employed. Much more to come in 2021.

Social connection through food. We’re spending a lot of time right now thinking about how to reinvent the holidays. Virtual hugs and virtual food aren’t quite the same, but at least this is one year it might be easy to turn down the fractured family feasts. While the holidays are a focus in figuring out virtual connections, groups such as Lasagna Love (https://www.lasagnalove.org/) have turned an idea into a community rallying point.

This now-nationwide effort started with one person making and delivering lasagna to people in her neighborhood who needed help during the pandemic. Now, it’s “a simple act of love and kindness during a time full of uncertainty and stress.” They aren’t the only ones. Commander’s Palace is hosting virtual parties, with the option to have food delivered in advance so you can eat along with the host. Innovation is popping up all over to help people keep connected.

Minimalism in food. This is another nationwide movement—this time about reducing ownership, living with less, and simplifying your home and life. Those ideas have moved over from design into food, at least for a growing number of people. There are, of course extremes—COVID made some people concerned enough about supply chain issues that they’ve begun stockpiling meat, in particular and, yes, toilet paper. But, overall, there seems to be an attitude of making life simpler and rolling with what’s available.

After all, we didn’t starve during lockdowns, and, in fact, restaurants developed pantry programs and sold to the consumer straight out of their wholesale-stocked freezers. Just as more people figured out cooking at home, they realized the savings in planning a menu, using up leftovers, and buying what you need. You may not have literally Marie Kondo’d your kitchen or your freezer space, but in the year to come we expect to see more organization and planning instead of more hoarding.

Continued growth in plant-based and beneficial foods. A pandemic didn’t remove peoples’ interest in lifestyle diets, and even when some food items were in short supply plant-based rose to the challenge and continued to be an available menu choice. While the issue of chemical-versus-fresh ingredients is still smoldering, people have a new desire to look at the best way to feed the world even when conditions are less than ideal. This doesn’t mean an embrace of chemicals—it means finding balance and ensuring that farming has the support it needs to be sustainable.

CBD and other additives are still a thing, too. We called CBD out separately in late 2019, and it’s no longer a shock to the food world to see it show up on a menu.

Defining and identifying local. This has been a discussion for years, but it’s another one of those things that moved to the front thanks to the pandemic. A repeated question is: Am I supporting local if I eat at a locally-owned franchise, or only if it’s a true mom and pop? People have been in a true quandary during 2020, confused over whether to do takeout from a franchise (complete with its incentives, smart app, and uniform safety procedures) versus supporting their neighborhood restaurant. That’s where you are more likely to have to call in the order to a busy person, where you have to have blind faith in their cleaning protocols, and where you don’t rack up points in the system or get coupons because, after all, that would eat up any possible profits. And, yet, it’s truly local.

Then, of course, chains have begun investing in local events, supporting local charities, and basically redefining local. Talk of the Town Restaurant Group, for example, did a whole push to support local charities through its 1st Annual Golf Tournament. So, is 2021 the year we sort it out and decide that, as in politics, at some point it’s all local?

More data. Yes, more. We called this out in 2019 for 2020, and it was true—until, suddenly, demographic data lost its meaning as everyone sheltered-in-place and didn’t make any sudden moves. Post-pandemic, we think food companies will rely on more diverse data than ever, as they seek to compare what worked before against what may work afterwards. They’ll be working hard to attract people back in to the store, the restaurant, the event, and will be playing by the numbers.

International comfort food. Welcome to the Depression, or the Recession, or anytime when the world has sought solace in food. We tend to think of comfort food as fried chicken and creamy mashed potatoes, and that was certainly true for a generation—but it’s time to rethink what actually gives us that feeling of being safe at home, cared for by someone who knows how to cook well! Comfort food is often characterized by its level of carbs, but it can also be tied to simple prep or a favorite memory.

During the height of the pandemic people were eating things that brought comfort to them, even if they were not part of the traditional definition of “comfort food.” So, warm soup has been reprised as Pho, your Abuela’s tacos were remade, gnocchi became a craveable item, and we looked up how to make jacket potatoes and a full English breakfast. Then, a funny thing happened on the way to comfort: we recognized that we really did feel better after reviving a memory, or adding a few healthy calories, or feeling cared for. That’s why we think comfort food is going to hang around awhile, rather than being a phase—but it is evolving into memory food that reaches into cultural backgrounds and family traditions more than just a food label.

The use of spice. There has been a resurgence in the use and understanding of spice. It’s as though we’ve spent years adding to our lexicon of flavor, learning about everything from chipotle to turmeric to Za’atar. Some people even spent part of their quarantine time going through and checking dates, getting rid of canned goods and spices that were outdated. The net result is the ability to adapt even further to new flavors and mix and match based on both what we’ve learned, and on the new availability and variety.

So, what’s the next flavor to watch for? Middle Eastern flavors, heavy on the cardamom, nutmeg and cloves, are high on the list. In fact, cultural food flavors of all sorts, brought to life in custards, soups, casseroles, and dumplings, will be popular. And yet, as more people are taking the time to learn basic cooking skills, we’ll all be amazed at what innovation will come from the old standards as well.

Eating at home. When you don’t have a choice, you figure it out, right? We learned to either cook what we had on hand or order it—curbside, delivery, or drive-thru. Food, even from the fanciest of restaurants, had to be simplified enough to put in a box and transport it. We’ve all been a part of figuring out how to mesh the desire for fresh and healthy with convenience and flavor; figuring out how to cook without it getting in the way of business Zooms, and figuring out how to get something besides a pizza delivered and have it still be hot.

While it’s been complicated, it’s also tied us to our homes and made sure we’ve made family dining more of a priority. For 2021 we expect we’ll all make good use of the cozy places we’ve been creating, and that—while it’s not great news for in-person dining—it’s an adapt-or-die world right now, and the best restaurants are adapting. It’s no secret we’ve long been fans of Rick Bayless, and if you need an example, check out what he’s doing with Topolo at home (https://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/topolobampo/).

New holiday food traditions. COVID rearranged our lives and threw out—or maybe suspended—our hallowed traditions. Look at it as an opportunity to get rid of things that weigh you down and reinvent your holidays around what’s important to Food still takes center stage with any holiday, and don’t let the fact that you may not have the usual crowd deter you from making it special. At the very least buy yourself some cocoa bombs and toast the season with some delicious hot chocolate while you watch a Hallmark movie. Go ahead and tackle one of your grandmother’s recipes and see what a sense of accomplishment you’ll feel. Or, simply relax and decide minimalism is your gift to yourself, and do nothing. Who knows, that may be the most freeing tradition you could begin!

Download our infographic (free to use) at https://mcusercontent.com/2559723598961c56a7e216eab/files/9da04359-ed40-48e1-b468-e5380b119dcd/WHY_Snapshot_2021FoodTrends.pdf

See more thought-provoking posts at https://whysdom.com/blog/.

 

2020 Food Trends

The Food Channel has released its 2020 Food Trends predictions–a top ten of what’s coming up next.

The Food Channel presents its 2020 Food Trends

It’s time again—every year for the past 31 years The Food Channel® has released a food trends report. We keep it simple, since there are a lot of reports out there with varying opinions, but we’ve also tracked this long enough to see the majority of our forecasts become reality.

Just take a look at past reports and you’ll see we called out some of the top things you’ve heard about this year. We’ve predicted the rise of cannabis in food, the interest in regional ethnic from places such as Africa and Appalachia, the rise of seafood and the importance of delivery. We’ve talked about probiotics and philanthropy and pets. We predicted restaurants would begin investing in their employees, and have seen better pay and tuition programs just within the last year. There’s been a lot over the past 31 years!

With that said, let’s take a look at our 2020 forecast of the Top Ten Trends in Food. The information is based on research conducted by the behavior science company CultureWaves® and identifies some of the significant shifts in behavior expected in 2020.

  1. CBD update. We’ve identified this before and a lot of innovation in food and beverage has been taking place, even with the legislative aspects up in the air. Some chefs have ventured out anyway—just look at the number of cannabis cafes that have opened in cities from Houston to Portland. In 2020 the legislative issues will likely come to a head and open the door to even more innovation. In fact, this top trend could be simply about regulation in general, as salt, sugar, CBD are only some of the things we’re going to find legislators pinning their attention on, under a “health of the nation” halo. If you thought food and politics were separate, think again.
  2. Plant-based continues to grow (pardon the pun). It’s inevitable as people search for a lifestyle that is easy to adopt and maintain. Beyond the health and diet aspects that come with healthier eating, though, will be a new transparency into the ingredients that may make people pause, as they learn plant-based doesn’t necessarily mean lower-calorie, or (dare we say it) healthy. Healthier may be enough, but the phrase “lab-grown” is going to give some people reason to think this through.
  3. The rise of data. We get that we are data nerds. Part of what we do is analyzing data that tells us how people are behaving, and why they are making the choices they make. The companies that manufacture the food products you buy rely on data to make their choices, too. They know a lot about the aggregated “you,” and they want to know even more. Sophisticated data exists that goes beyond demographics and into behavior—and more and more companies are learning what counts in all the data. So, if you find Twinkies cereal on your shelf, you’ll know the data showed people would buy it.
  4. Customer-led innovation. The consumer is in charge more than ever before. You thought you had a role in a restaurant’s success thanks to your online review? Well, try giving them one of your recipes. Some restaurants are now incorporating that level of personalization into their strategy, and we expect to see more of it. It just makes sense that now that social media opened up the conversation, we’d find more ways to learn from each other and create our own community. Restaurants are adopting an “if you can’t beat them, join them” mentality and it probably bodes well for future success.
  5. Waste and sustainability. Food waste and disposable product waste go hand-in-hand, and while you can still get your to-go box in a pretty package with a bow, you can also find more recycling and biodegradable options than ever. Roadie, one of the many new delivery services, and Goodr, a real-time “food rescue “app (incidentally, built on blockchain, which we called out in last year’s report) have one of the more interesting innovations. Their app allows businesses and restaurants to donate surplus food to people and local charities in need. With the food packaging demand from delivery, and the disappointment in paper straws, this subject deserves a lot of attention and innovation.
  6. Customer service. We are among those who have ranted for years about restaurant customer service, or lack thereof…but there is a new effort underfoot. Now that restaurants know more about you (see data, above), they understand how important it is to close the loop when you have a problem. Domino’s offers a guarantee, and that’s just the tip of innovation. Behind the customer-facing part comes a big investment into employee retention and training. Shake Shack is testing a four day work week; Chick-fil-a and others are doing tuition reimbursement, and Hopdoddy is partnering to get its workers culinary degrees and certifications. A higher level of training has been shown to lead to a higher level of responsive service, so it’s a no brainer. Still, it took them long enough.
  7. The new sensitivity. #metoo woke a lot of people up, and shook up a number of policies that had grown dusty on the shelf. We’re watching the unintended effect, where the genders are just avoiding each other for the time being, but we believe 2020 will be spent reaching an understanding of how to work well with others. Respect will be part of the curriculum, along with the type of zero tolerance policies demonstrated by McDonald’s and other companies already. We may just be hopeful, but the conversation is well underway.
  8. Options. Oatmeal flour, almond flour, coconut flour. Oat milk, soy milk, almond milk. We have more specialty and organic options than ever before, and the prices are doable for those willing to pay a little extra.
  9. We’re always asked after we publish these reports: What are the hot flavors going to be? So, let’s just call them out. Marshmallow is showing a lot of innovation, both in flavored marshmallow but also in how marshmallow is incorporated into menu items. Maple is still showing up, as is mango, persimmon, ginger, and curry. Things that aren’t technically even flavors are now flavors, like churro-flavored. Global is going to play a huge role, and it’s a roll of the dice which new words we’ll learn— cotija, dukkah, and epazote are just early in the alphabet. Sambal, tajin, ube, vindaloo, watercress, xaolongbao bring up the rear (although we have plenty more). We’re also watching the food and flavors from Brazil and Portugal, and the regional influences rising from all areas of Asia and the Middle East. American flavors are getting noticed too; in fact, where it used to be North, South, East and West, expect flavor to be identified at least at the state level, if not even deeper—so more New Orleans, and less general South, or even Louisiana. Even Colorado is getting into the game with Colorado-cured becoming an interesting new standard.
  10. Finally, here’s one for the dreamers. Just as our nation is conquering putting flavor into plant-based foods, it’s looking at space food to see if it can become more viable as a way to feed the world—the one on this planet. This is exciting young chefs, as well as those who are working to solve the food sustainability issues, and is something we expect to see talked about more.

We have more, but ten is enough to feed your interest for this year. To read more about trends throughout the next year from our CultureWaves partner, check out the weekly blog at https://whysdom.com/blog/.