ACF Trends: Culinary Mashups

NOVEMBER: CULINARY MASHUPS

By Amelia Levin, National Culinary Review editor

Fusion has been around forever, but it might have been the infamous cronut that brought the kitsch and the fandom. Today, we’re focused more on “crosscultural cooking” — as referenced in af&co.’s 2024 Hospitality Trend report — or “chaos cooking,” another term used by industry research outlets and trends experts to describe the mashing up of ingredients, flavors and traditions from global cuisines. In this new world of culinary mashups, chefs are drawing from professional experience and personal backgrounds to create dishes, menus and full restaurant concepts that combine elements from one or two cuisines at a time. Korean tacos and Rueben egg rolls got the ball rolling; now we’re seeing Vietnamese-Cajun, Mexican-Mediterranean and Jewish deliCuban mashups, plus more applications of Wafu cuisine combining Italian and Japanese flavors. This new realm of “chaos cooking” has also included a wave of fun ingredient combos like chicken bacon ranch and mango habanero, the latter of which has seen an increase of 83% in menu inclusions over the past four years, according to third-party research firm Datassential. Turn to p. 20 to read more about “chaos cooking” and culinary mashups happening around the country.

Island Onigiri (above) (credit: Joe Kramm) and Curry Tofu Bowl (below) (credit: Onbrand Production) at HAAM in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Kanpachi Ceviche with pickled red onions at Fort Oak in San Diego touches on Raw Fish Rave and Pickles Galore, two ACF trends for 2025

The Vegetable Renaissance trend is on display in this salad wtih beets and pomegranate seeds at Fort Oak (credit: Trust Restaurant Group)