Sysco Food trends 2015

FOOD TRENDS

2015 MORE THAN 180 IDEAS ABOUT YOUR FUTURE

w w w. s y s c o.c om

What’s Hot in 2015?

Discover New Menu Trends www.restaurant.org Dec. 3, 2014 Local sourcing, environmental sustainability and healthful kids' meals keep gaining steam as the top trends on restaurant menus in 2015, according to the National Restaurant Association's annual What’s Hot culinary forecast.

The NRA surveyed nearly 1,300 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) – to find which foods, cuisines, beverages and culinary themes will be hot trends on restaurant menus in 2015.

“As consumers today increasingly incorporate restaurants into their daily lives, they want to be able to follow their personal preferences and philosophies no matter where or how they choose to dine,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research for the National Restaurant Association. “So, it’s only natural that culinary themes like local sourcing, sustainability and nutrition top our list of menu trends for 2015. Those concepts are wider lifestyle choices for many Americans in other aspects of their lives that also translate into the food space.”

“Chefs are committed to supporting their communities and helping make responsible food choices,” said Thomas Macrina, CEC, CCA, AAC, national president of the American Culinary Federation. “I am pleased that members of the American Culinary Federation continue to support local sourcing and sustainable food practices as an annual trend and are paving the way for these values to become part of everyday American cooking.”

In addition, the What’s Hot in 2015 survey found that the top five alcohol and cocktail trends will be micro-distilled/artisan spirits, locally produced beer/wine/spirits, onsite barrel-aged drinks, regional signature cocktails, and culinary cocktails.

Items that gained most in trendiness since last year in the annual survey included underutilized fish, doughnuts, ethnic condiments, grass-fed beef, brown/wild rice, and grilled vegetables. Items with the largest drop in “hot trend” rating included bruschetta, kale salads, nose-to-tail cooking, hybrid desserts, and house-made soft drinks.

When asked which current food trend will be the hottest menu trends 10 years from now, environmental sustainability topped the list, followed by local sourcing, nutrition and ethnic cuisines and flavors.

The chefs were also asked how they feel about customers taking photos of their food and posting on social media during their meals. Nearly three in five chefs said it's free advertising and should be encouraged, and about a third said it's fine as long as they're discrete. Only one in 10 chefs said it's disruptive and should be discouraged.

Get the full results at Restaurant.org/FoodTrends

TECHNOMIC’S TAKE TAKE A 2015 10 1 Trends t o Watch

1

Li ht ! C Lights!

Came Camera!

ACTION! AC TION! Dining is no longer just a personal experience, but a staged event that imparts ďƌĂŐŐŝŶŐ ƌŝŐŚƚƐ͘ WůĂƟŶŐ ĂŶĚ ůŝŐŚƟŶŐ ĂƌĞ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐŝŶŐůLJ designed with phone snapshots and social-media sharing in mind. Customers collaborate to put on the ƐŚŽǁ͖ ŵĞŶƵƐ͕ ŵĂƌŬĞƟŶŐ͕ ĞǀĞŶ ĐŚĂƌŝƚĂďůĞ ĞīŽƌƚƐ ĂƌĞ crowdsourced.

2

^^D >>ͳ D > >ͳ

Minded Small is in: Diners demand ƉĞƟƚĞ ƉůĂƚĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŇĞdžŝďůĞ ƉŽƌƟŽŶƐ͖ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂƌĞ ƐŵĂůůĞƌ with shrunken, laser-focused ŵĞŶƵƐ͕ ŵƵůƟͲƵƐĞ ĞƋƵŝƉŵĞŶƚ and expanded hours to ůĞǀĞƌĂŐĞ ĮdžĞĚ ĐŽƐƚƐ͖ ůĂďŽƌ ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞƐ ŵĞĂŶ ůĞĂŶĞƌ ƐƚĂĸŶŐ ĂŶĚ ŵŽƌĞ ƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐLJ ;ƚŚŽƵŐŚ Ă ďĂĐŬůĂƐŚ ŝƐ ďƌĞǁŝŶŐ ĂƐ ŵĂŶLJ diners seek to unplug and be waited on).

3

4

Foo oodser odser d vice

Si Signature t

EVER EVERYWHERE YWHERE

BEVERA BEVERAGES GES

ůƚĞƌŶĂƟǀĞ ĨŽƌŵƐ ŽĨ foodservice swallow share—from retailers’ everŵŽƌĞͲƐŽƉŚŝƐƟĐĂƚĞĚ ŽŶƐŝƚĞ restaurants to fresh-food-anddrink vending to enterprises that deliver ingredients to LJŽƵƌ ĚŽŽƌ͘ DĞĂŶǁŚŝůĞ͕ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ restaurant world, fast casual shakes out, segment lines blur furtherr, pop-ups proliferate and demand for tech-enabled ĚĞůŝǀĞƌLJ ŚĞĂƚƐ ƵƉ͘

ŽĐŬƚĂŝůƐ ŵĂLJ ĐŽŵĞ ŝŶ ŬĞŐƐ͖ classics like the Negroni ride the retro wave but get ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟŽŶ ĨƌŽŵ ŶĞǁ ǁŝŶĞ͕ beer and cider cocktails; ŇĂǀŽƌĨƵů ĂŶĚ ŇĂǀŽƌĞĚ ǁŚŝƐŬĞLJƐ trend up along with spiced ƌƵŵƐ ĂŶĚ ůŝƋƵĞƵƌƐ͘ KƉĞƌĂƚŽƌƐ ĂƌĞ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐŝŶŐůLJ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƟĂƟŶŐ themselves with non-alcohol ĚƌŝŶŬƐ͕ ƚŽŽͶĨƌŽŵ ŚĂŶĚĐƌĂŌĞĚ or small-batch sodas to pressed juices to health-halo ƚĞĂƐ͕ ĐƌĂŌĞĚ ŵŽƌĞ ĨŽƌ ƐŽĐŝĂůͲ ŵĞĚŝĂ ďƵnjnj ƚŚĂŶ ĨŽƌ ĞĂƟŶŐ͘

5

There’s something

ABOUT ASIA Asian foods have been ƚƌĞŶĚŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ LJĞĂƌƐ͕ ďƵƚ ƚŚĞ world’s biggest and fastestŵŽǀŝŶŐ ĐŽŶƟŶĞŶƚ ĂůǁĂLJƐ delivers something new. In 2015, look for the breakout of Korean, mainstreaming of Vietnamese and ƵƉƐĐĂůŝŶŐ ŽĨ ƐƉŝĐLJ ƌĂŵĞŶ ŶŽŽĚůĞƐ͕ ƚŚĞ ƋƵŝŶƚĞƐƐĞŶƟĂů Asian street food.

X

©

6 BITTER BIT TER

is the new bold >ŽŽŬ ĨŽƌ ĚĂƌŬĞƌ ĐŽīĞĞƐ͕ deeper chocolates, nextgen cruciferous veggies like ĐĂƵůŝŇŽǁĞƌ ĂŶĚ ĐŽůůĂƌĚ ŐƌĞĞŶƐ͕ ŚŽƉƉLJ ďĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŽĐŬƚĂŝůƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ďŝƚĞ ŽĨ ďŝƩĞƌƐ͘

7 DIY

Health DŽƌĞ ĐŽŶƐƵŵĞƌƐ ĐĂƌĞ ĂďŽƵƚ ŚĞĂůƚŚLJ ĞĂƟŶŐͶďƵƚ ǁŚĂƚ ĚŽĞƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŵĞĂŶ ƚŽ ƚŚĞŵ͍ DĞŶƵƐ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐŝŶŐůLJ ĚŝƐƉůĂLJ ƉŝĐŬͲĂŶĚͲ ĐŚŽŽƐĞ ŽƉƟŽŶƐ ĨŽƌ ĞǀĞƌLJŽŶĞ from gluten-free eaters to ǀĞŐĂŶƐ ƚŽ ƉĂůĞŽͲĚŝĞƚ ƉĂƌƟƐĂŶƐ͖ ŽīĞƌŝŶŐƐ ĂƌĞ ƐǁŝƚĐŚĞĚ ŽƵƚ ĂƐ ŶƵƚƌŝƟŽŶ ĨĂĚƐ ĂŶĚ ĨĂƐŚŝŽŶƐ come and go.

8

Mi M Micro-

9

U with Up ith

LLOCAL OCAL

PEOPLE PEOPLE

dŚĞ ƐƚĂLJͲĐůŽƐĞͲƚŽͲŚŽŵĞ spirit heightens interest in ĞǀĞƌLJƚŚŝŶŐ ĨƌŽŵ ŚŽƵƐĞͲƉƵƌŝĮĞĚ water to regional seafood to ůŽĐĂůůLJ ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌĞĚ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ůŝŬĞ ďĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ůŝƋƵŽƌƐ͘ ǀĞŶ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ƐƵƉƉůLJ ĐŚĂŝŶ ĐŽŶƐŽůŝĚĂƚĞƐ͕ ƐƉĞĐŝĂůƚLJ ĂŶĚ ĐŝƚLJǁŝĚĞ ĚŝƐƚƌŝďƵƚŽƌƐ ŐĂŝŶ ƐŚĂƌĞ͘ Ŷ ͞ĂŶƟͲ chain” ethos prompts chains ĂŶĚ ŵƵůƟĐŽŶĐĞƉƚ ŽƉĞƌĂƚŽƌƐ ƚŽ ĚĞďƵƚ ƋƵĂƐŝͲŝŶĚĞƉĞŶĚĞŶƚ ƌĞƐƚĂƵƌĂŶƚƐ ĮŶĞͲƚƵŶĞĚ ƚŽ ůŽĐĂů market demands.

The meaning of corporate ƐŽĐŝĂů ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďŝůŝƚLJ ĞǀŽůǀĞƐ ĂƐ ĐŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ ĐŽŶĐĞƌŶƐ ƐŚŝŌ to the human factorr. Diners care that restaurants deal ĨĂŝƌůLJ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĞŵƉůŽLJĞĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŽīĞƌ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ĨŽƌ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞŵĞŶƚ͘ KƚŚĞƌƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĨŽŽĚ ĐŚĂŝŶ ĂůƐŽ ŐĂŝŶ ǀŝƐŝďŝůŝƚLJ as farmworker and Fair Trade movements win victories.

10

Channeli Z Channeling The challenge of appealing ƚŽ Ăůů ĂŐĞƐ ŝŶƚĞŶƐŝĮĞƐ ĂƐ LJŽƵŶŐĞƌ ĚŝŶĞƌƐ ƐƚĞƉ ƵƉ ĚĞŵĂŶĚƐ ĨŽƌ ƐƉĞĞĚLJ ŚŝŐŚͲ tech service, heightened experiences, louder music ĂŶĚ ŬŝŶĞƟĐ ǀŝƐƵĂůƐ͙ ĂŶĚ Ă new teen cohort of digital ŶĂƟǀĞƐ ďĞŐŝŶƐ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ ŝƚƐ voice heard.

3

2015 Trend Roundup

Dec. 8, 2014 Article by Jason Freed

Restaurant Hospitality editors have been watching these trends cook all year. It’s our job to see which ones rise up and which fall flat like a bad soufflé. We are kitchen voyeurs who peer into pantries, snoop over chefs’ shoulders and devour what comes out of kitchens. We rub elbows with restaurant owners and designers, who also become part of the recipe for success. We hope that dedication is what makes our 2015 trends piece stand out. This time around, we’ve predicted the lasting impact of each trend and assigned it a rating: 10 = everyone will be doing it; 1 = it’s a long shot. So, please, dig in, and explore with us the trends you should jump all over in the year ahead.

Please visit restaurant-hospitality.com for more information on all our 2015 trend projections.

1. Shaking Up Cocktails (Trend Potential 7/10) We’re growing old waiting for dudes with overalls, newsie hats and handlebar moustaches to carve our ice cube and toast a starfruit to rim our glass. However, that doesn’t mean we want you to skimp on house-made, artisanal ingredients—just get that drink to the girl at the end of the bar before she gets up and walks away.

Oh, and the pig’s blood and olive oil in our drink was nifty the first time, but we probably won’t order it again.

What they’re saying: Darren Tristano, Technomic: Interest in beverages is constantly changing. Once something comes into vogue, there is always a niche group of beverage enthusiasts who then try to find the next “undiscovered” gem at bars.

2. Taking it Old School (Trend Potential 8/10) Let’s admit it: The salted caramel Twinkie really took us back.

Throwback desserts are just one nod to yesteryear—today’s restaurateurs are getting nostalgic with retro liquors, cooking techniques and flavors. Pour us another round of that bathtub gin.

What they’re saying: Jose Andrés, ThinkFoodGroup: Forgotten recipes are making a big comeback. Recipes like the original oyster catsups, the shrub cocktail or the mutton and oysters are well worth reviving.

3. So Fresh and So Clean (Trend Potential 3/10) Jimmy Kimmel is right on with his cracks about gluten and GMOs: For the majority, these diets are more likely a fad than a trend.

But we like dishes with fewer ingredients that still taste good yet provide transparency about just what the hell we are eating.

Most of us dine out a couple times a week, so the less indulgent you can make it, the better for our waistlines.

What they’re saying: Andrew Freeman, Andrew Freeman & Co.: Dietary restrictions have become part of our culture. But we see 2015 as “the death of yes”; you just can’t please everyone. So respect where you choose to eat—you can’t create your own dish.

Snack Attack: Bar snacks can be a playful way to showcase your concept.

4. The Monster Mash (Trend Potential 8.5/10) The poster child for these highly marketable mashups is the Cronut, and now it seems like you can pull any two awesome bakery items out of a hat and mash them together to sell out of a truck in Brooklyn. We’ve seen the Wookie (waffle and cookie), Scuffin (scone and muffin), the Creffel (French crepe and Belgian waffle), the Bruffin (brioche/muffin) and the Cragel (croissant and bagel). In the entrée category, we’re hip to the blending of ethnic cuisines, such as Chinese–Peruvian, AustralianAsian and Mexican-Taiwanese.

What they’re saying: Maeve Webster, Datassential: Mashups and hybrids are nearly impossible at this point to get away from on the menu.

The key difference between these types of items and the “fusion” items of the past is that these items preserve the authenticity and individual integrity of the ingredients; current mashups celebrate the heritage of the ingredients, flavors and formats.

5. Snack Attack (Trend Potential 9/10) Remember when bar snacks were just bowls of salty stuff to encourage you to drink more? Now bars compete with each other to see who has the tastiest nuts. Other traditional bar foods like popcorn, deviled eggs and protein snacks have caught our eye, too, and we like the idea of ordering small plates while we look at the menu. Pass us another soft pretzel, would you?

The Monster Mash: Plan Check L.A.’s K-BBQ Burger, featuring “kimcheese”

4

What they’re saying: Serge Romero, Punch Bowl Social Food & Drink: The great thing about snacks is they let you enjoy a medley of different foods without feeling gluttonous. From a kitchen standpoint, snacks are a great way to showcase your concept without guests feeling like they have to order a full meal. Snacks lend themselves to sharing, socializing and gathering.

9. Reclaiming Design (Trend Potential 4.5/10) Buying an old barn, tearing it down and using the beautifully aged planks of wood for your bartop and flooring is so… 2014. Now we’re taking words like sustainable, repurposed, recycled and reclaimed to the next level, applying them to wallcoverings, lighting fixtures and other décor. We love it, because a vintage look lends itself to a more casual atmosphere where diners are sitting with each other, served by a staff in jeans.

What they’re saying: Mauve Webster: People aren’t really looking to go to those huge warehouse-sized restaurants that are fairly sterile.

They want unique character and an intimate experience.

At Hibiscus in Dallas, pig ear slaw is added to Bobwhite Quail with creamy grits and chow chow.

6. Pieces and Parts (Trend Potential 8/10) We’re fortunate enough to have one of the godfathers of nose-totail cooking in our own back yard—chef Jonathon Sawyer of Cleveland’s Greenhouse Tavern. Sawyer and others have expanded beyond the pig’s head into fish collars, chicken skin, pig trotters, pork cheeks and other seldom-used parts. Matthias Merges pushed the envelope further with his “skin sampler” at Yusho in Chicago.

What they’re saying: Bruce Bronster, Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf: We all came from the poor country, and when you’re poor, you’re going to use the entire animal. What chefs are really doing today is experimenting using unusual parts. They’re not doing it to save money, but to explore interesting takes on cuisine.

7. Spices in Stunning Places (Trend Potential 9.5/10) Just added two items to our grocery list: hot honey and gochujang. Each could be poised to become the next Sriracha.

Diners today are more willing to take risks when it comes to spicy food—see: “ghost chili” on YouTube—and chilies from all over the world are drawing attention.

What they’re saying: Ben Ford, Ford’s Filling Station: I’m loving the chile peppers out of Turkey—Marash, Aleppo and Ufra are the best and most readily available.

8. Millennials in the Kitchen (Trend Potential 6/10) Our new favorite drinking game is to take a swig every time we see or hear the word “Millennial.” Here’s what we know: The younger generation is driving eating behaviors; they want technology, customization and immediate gratification. But we remind you that Millennials are not only eating the food, they’re creating it, too. Young entrepreneurs are taking on their “passion projects,” which are becoming some of the best restaurants in the country.

And creative Millennial chefs are setting the stage for upcoming food trends.

10. Chefs Get Casual (Trend Potential 9/10) You’ve heard of fast casual, but we’re calling this new segment “chef casual”: chefs breaking from fine dining to open their own fast-casual concepts. Are they doing it because that’s where the demand is or so they can showcase their craft to a greater number of people?

We suspect a little bit of both.

What they’re saying: Ben Ford: I have never liked the disparity between taking care of my customer’s wellbeing and providing what they can afford to eat on a regular basis. You need to be clever to engineer a menu that uses responsible ingredients in a creative manner.

11. Menu Size Matters (Trend Potential 4/10) Tasting menus are hanging around in the upscale segment, but not as they once were. Sure, they’re a great way for chefs to show off their skills, but at the same time diners today are looking to customize and share. So tasting menus are getting abbreviated to four or five dishes.

And overall, menus are getting smaller because a tightened menu is more cost-effective—operators don’t have to purchase as many ingredients or train employees on as many recipes.

What they’re saying: Darren Tristano: Laser-focused menus allow operators to succeed at what they know best. Operators can focus on a select number of ingredients and use them to the best of their ability.

12. Pack in the Protein (Trend Potential 5/10) The days when the word “protein” meant red meat and chicken breasts are gone. Today, as consumers make it their mission to consume more protein, they’re finding it in more unusual meat-free places, from beverages to desserts. “Meatless Monday” menus lean heavily on nuts and other plant proteins. As Americans continue to strive for a more balanced diet, we don’t see this going away anytime soon.

What they’re saying: Bruce Bronster: People are becoming much more educated with regards to protein. Producers are telling you where meats come from. They’re very open in terms of educating the consumer on how meats are raised. People want a balanced diet and now we’re realizing animal fats aren’t that unhealthy for you.

What they’re saying: Andrew Freeman: Restaurants are being created by Millennials and catered to Millennials. It’s how the QSR space is becoming known for quality. Millennial chefs are doing casual restaurants as their offshoot. Why is that? Because customers can customize what they want and get it fast.

It’s this year’s pop-up.

Pack in the Protein: Oceana’s seafood charcuterie plate

5

2015 Trend Roundup Continued from previous page 14. Rise of Local Chains (Trend Potential 5/10) Mom-and-pops are being replaced by strong operators with multiple locations, each tailored to fit in the local dining scenes. We’ll admit, we liked it more when you knew if you were supporting the community rather than a large corporation. As multiconcept operators build small brands that cater to communities, the lines are getting blurred.

What they’re saying: Serge Romero: What a great trend. Every niche, every city, every market is part of a greater community. It’s awesome that restaurateurs are taking notice and doing their part to cater to specific communities and help promote local purveyors. All markets have different culinary trends and eating habits, so being adaptable to those nuances only helps you become a part of that market.

Spread the Word: Connecting with your tech-savvy Millennial customers is a must.

13. Spread the Word (Trend Potential 8.5/10) What’s the first thing we do when we’re on the road in an unfamiliar city and looking for a great dining experience? We search review sites on our phones, of course, because we trust other diners more than we trust advertisements. Savvy restaurant managers that understand this encourage diners to share photos and comments.

The next step: plate your dishes and light the dining room to make the food look its best.

What they’re saying: Bonnie Riggs, NPD Group: What Millennials may lack in buying power, they make up for in influence. They have expectations when they dine out and are quick to spread the word when their expectations aren’t met.

Rise of Local Chains: Interior, Urban Farmer Cleveland, Ohio - Sage Restaurant Group

15. Asian Maturation (Trend Potential 9.5/10) We’ve known for years that Asian food is no longer specifically for takeout. Did we expect to be eating ramen for lunch three times a week? Not really, but we can’t get enough. So many restaurants are doing mind-blowing authentic cuisine from smaller countries like Korea and Vietnam, and even more obscure cuisines like Scandinavian and Peruvian are being touched by these Asian influences.

What they’re saying: Katie Workman, food author: Kimchi seems to be cross-pollinating dishes on menus outside of Korean restaurants, and not just traditional kimchi, but other version of this pickled condiment.

Please visit restaurant-hospitality.com for more information on all our 2015 trend projections.

9 Craft Cocktail Cues for 2015 A ROUND-UP OF MACRO, MINI AND MICRO COCKTAIL TRENDS

www.getflavor.com Dec. 2014

The cocktail as we know it has been resurrected, rejuvenated and has retaken its rightful place in time. To uncover the history, techniques, flavor breakdowns, ingredients and new products, the annual Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) conference in New Orleans is the obvious place to start. We've pulled out 9 of this year's TOTC topics and tastes as the ones gathering momentum going into 2015: 1. Champagne Popping Up: Champagne (and other sparkling wine) is making a splash on the cocktail circuit. With its floral, full and fruity character, champagne has the ability to balance a cocktail; its citrusy effervescence sends aromas to the top.

2. Small Batch Is Still Big: Hardly a week passes without the announcement of a new distillery introducing an aged whiskey, craft gin or micro-distilled local liqueur.

In fact, the American Distilling Institute reports the meteoric rise in distilleries from 70 to more than 600 in only a decade.

3. Penetration Reduction: Though the craft cocktail world still has something to prove, preciousness and pomposity has taken a back seat to professionalism and homespun hospitality. The world of drinks is experiencing a lightness of being, notes Ann Tuennerman, TOC’s founder and executive director. “It’s fun to see people enjoying Tiki cocktails, and to see the Harvey Wallbanger being brought back to life.”

4. Rum and Tip-Top Tiki: Rum is taken seriously by some, but the easing of the cocktail environment has encouraged a more relaxed, free-flowing Tiki bowl of rummy classics and creative island-styled drinks. And although Chicago’s Tiki-themed Three Dots and a Dash gets awards and accolades, it doesn’t take thatched roofs and pineapple vessels to enjoy the spirits and cocktails of the Tiki era, or the old-is-newagain rum culture.

5. Italian Influx The Italians are infiltrating the cocktail world steadily and with style.

The ascent of Italian spirits, wines and cocktails is no surprise.

But a more coordinated effort by importers, distributors and brand ambassadors has made Italian cocktail culture a reality in America and abroad.

6. Colonial Concoctions Preservationist drinks like ciders, syllabub, switchel, mead and shrub pervade modern menus and ingredient lists. In their TOC seminar “Westward Goes the Jug of Empire,” Wayne Curtis, Derek Brown and J.P. Fetherston traced alcohol’s influence on the New World and how it preserves both history and cocktail culture. Along with rum, sherry and whiskey, these early innovations sustained colonization, fortified industry and Westward expansion, demonstrating just how geeky and flavorful the cocktail world can be.

7. Blooming Botanicals Wild sourcing and locally focused approaches to ingredient sourcing are taking root on cocktail menus. Purveyors of terroir-based beverages and the bartenders who mix them have created ways for regional and seasonal elements to delight drinkers. From mixology to menus, tonics to tinctures, bitters to booze, it’s all about botanicals. Roots, shoots, warm spices and bitter barks are included in fresh, dried, infused and distilled forms.

Following in the footsteps of America’s own Death’s Door Spirits, Scotland’s “hand-foraged” Caorunn gin highlights the botanicals gathered from their surrounds and foraged from ours to create uniquely bi-terroir drinks.

Meanwhile, VeeV’s top bartenders turned out drinks showcasing the vodka-like botanical wheat distillate infused with açai berries.

8. The Alpine-ing of Libations When it comes to cocktails and spirits, a tree is more than the sum of its bark and cinnamon, or of its resins like spruce or birch sap or leaves and berries such as bay, sassafras or juniper. In this case, fir is making bars arboreal. Tree-tapped influences are refreshing cocktails in multiple ways: piney garnishes and balsam bitters, spruce-like syrups and spirits from fir-tipped gins, Douglas Fir eau de vie (like Clear Creek’s), coniferous cordials and Stone Pine liqueur such as Zirbenz.

9. Vodka Back in Vogue There was a time when most TOC presenters eschewed vodka and elite cocktail bars followed suit, some banning it altogether. Today the “blank canvas” is back, and is being deployed to refresh cocktail lists.

Vodka distillers are getting back into the good graces of bartenders by working with them. Vodka is being used to lower the intensity of big cocktails or to provide a different option. Newly regional, clean and low or natural flavors better for concocting are also increasing in popularity.

Absolut launched its back-bar-only line, called Absolut Craft, created with U.K. celebrity mixologist Nick Strangeway; this threesome of vodkas is specifically formulated for blending, with flavors like Herbaceous Lemon, Smokey Tea and Bitter Cherry.

7

Top 10 Food Trends thefoodchannel.com December 5, 2014

1. The Dinner Party Revival — Do you find yourself entertaining more often? Maybe that’s because it’s now acceptable to use a “third space” and take the pressure off entertaining in your home. On the other end of the spectrum, we see people making dinner at home an “occasion” with friends and making everything homemade.

Anything goes as long as you make the effort to physically pull friends together. We think it’s because people are so connected online that they are forcing sessions where they connect offline.

Expect restaurants to accommodate the trend by offering spaces and special event deals to make it easy for you to host an event in your own style—it’s almost like the chef having a dinner party for you, every night. As a part of this, we’re seeing Tablescaping, or table fashion, becoming more popular as a way of extending the cooking experience and even validating it.

2. The Loss of Ethnic — What’s ethnic when it’s all one big mash up?

What we’re seeing is that The Next Big Thing in ethnic food is a nonstarter. While we’re happy to introduce new global flavors to our palate, the tendency is to mix them into something we already understand. Perhaps we’re just too ADD around taste these days to do anything less than infuse new flavors with others. The single flavor palate is gone; long live the global palate. Along with this, we are looking at what we call Edible Geneology™, where we hang onto parts of our history by incorporating them into our foodstyle.

Right now the flavors getting mashed into our culture are heavily Asian and Brazilian, but it’s a moving target.

3. Hand Touched over Hand Made — Handmade is getting a revamp. It’s no longer about making the recipe totally from scratch.

Now, shortcuts are acceptable, and are part of the story. After all, that birthday cake mom made in the 60s and 70s quite likely started with a boxed mix—it’s what we grew up on. What we’re seeing now is that while family recipes are still treasured hand-me-downs, they aren’t always complicated. What we call “hand-touched” is now becoming the norm—meaning that as long as we touch them in some way, we don’t have to literally measure the flour for it to be something we made. Part of the evolution is that’s it’s no longer just the recipe from scratch, but it’s the recipe from scratch with the story behind it.

4. The Casualization of Wine — Millennials are drinking so much wine that wine is being rebranded as an everyday drink. No longer left to special occasions, it’s got a health halo (especially red) that adds to the license to enjoy. In fact, there are those who say that a little wine each day is better than weekend-only drinking.

It’s changing how we look at everything from wine pairings to quantity and quality of wines.

8

5. My Kitchen — Remember, major food trends usually start in the high-end restaurants, and this one is no exception. For 2014 we called out how even white tablecloth restaurants were catering to the “Distracted Diner” by serving more hand-held foods that allowed a phone in one hand, and food in the other. The evolution of this is that chefs have started efforts to make the food the star attraction— not your social media. In an attempt to get you to concentrate on what they’ve prepared, chefs are giving you knife and fork food, banning ketchup if it doesn’t go with the flavor combinations they’ve prepared, and discouraging food photography. The new trend is, “It’s my kitchen, my rules.” We predict you’ll start choosing your restaurant not only for the type of food or the value but for how closely your palate and ambiance desires align with that of the chef.

Restaurants are also “showrooming” fresh, making it clear that they frequent the local farmers market and being very transparent about the backend of the restaurant. They are adding demonstrations, cooking classes, and social events that feature fresh market items as part of this trend. The farmers market has become a hub where people interested in food meet up and compare notes, and the local grocery stores and restaurants are catching on quickly that they need to offer something similar.

6. Food Incubators — Just go to Brooklyn and you’ll see what we’re talking about. Culinary, or food incubators, are simply shared commercial kitchens where those with a food idea can develop, test, and try to get their idea to market—all in licensed, health-inspected space. The rise in food media over the past 8-10 years has caused a lot of people to want to take their own ideas to market, and incubators reduce the cost of entrepreneurship and give you business support in the process. New York isn’t the only place encouraging the growth of this type of small business, but the incubators there are credited with bringing some much needed economic revitalization to the area.

We are also watching what’s happening with entrepreneurism at the farm level, where Millennials are starting to have some influence on the family farm and “incubating” their own new ideas.

7. Seasonal Traditions — Indian cuisine is under the trends scope— but this is not meant to designate ethnic Indian food as much as it is a call out of the flavors. Think curry, coconut, ginger, garlic and more. The flavor profiles of India are becoming more popular, which perhaps is part of the globalization of food. It’s not really a homogenized melting pot, although these foods are finding some Americanized forms. We expect to see more global flavors, forms, and more and more “melting pot" foods, but foods that retain the authentic flavors and forms of a global society. Start with India, and see where it goes.

8. Spice Alchemy — Spices are getting attention, partly because so many mixtures have hit the market and partly because Millennials are learning how to season their food. What we’re seeing now, with the proliferation of global spices and spice combinations, is that people are experimenting with the spices—becoming mixologists with spices, in a way. The flavors they’ve learned to love in dishes such as hummus are popping up in other menu items, so expect more cumin, saffron, cardamon, sumac, etc. The spice craze is also attributable to concerns over sodium intake, with the thinking that spices can replace the need for salt to some extent. This is causing those in the food industry to think about spice education around what works, salt’s role, storage issues, and general usage. A lot of alternatives besides spices are also starting to be seen from the organic world, with aromatic vegetables, lemon juice and vinegar all being used in cooking more frequently.

9. Replicating Restaurants — We are starting to bring our ‘away from home’ experiences back into the home, taking what we see and downsizing it as necessary to be able to repeat it ourselves. We saw it with home espresso machines and Belgian waffle makers... so continue to expect new appliances and smaller workspaces that replicate the restaurant experience. During the Recession, people realized what they could do at home, and now they want to upscale what they can do. They are taking home cooking seriously, putting chef practices into place around everything from cooking styles (sous-vide) to safety (a cutting board for each purpose), to efficiency (high powered blenders and juicers), to design (kitchen remodels). The equipment you use is becoming as important as the food you serve.

10. Cooking by Life Stage — Once again the Baby Boomers are leading the way on this one. We’ve always known that you generally cook more when you have a growing family at home, and have to learn to downscale when the family all grows up and moves away.

Boomers aren’t giving up the convenience of starter packs for dinner—they just don’t want to eat that casserole for four meals.

As a result, retail food companies are beginning to make “cook it together” packages and meals for two. We expect that food and recipes will no longer be based solely around a traditional family of four, but instead will be offered by life stage rather than age-related demographics. This also allows for all ages to turn cooking together an evening of entertainment rather than a chore. Hint to food manufacturers: the frozen dinner is prime for a re-invention.

9

Shareable desserts, mashups trend on 2014 dessert menus www.nrn.com Dec. 3, 2014 by Fern Glazer This year, the desire to keep things interesting at the end of the meal had pastry chefs across the country getting creative. Here’s a look back at some of the tastiest dessert trends that dominated menus this year and will likely continue into the new year.

2. Bourbon baked goods

1. Desserts for two (or more)

McLure’s contribution to the boozy trend is Banana Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce, a riff on the classic Bananas Foster, with sliced bread that is layered with bananas, pecans and a hard sauce made of whiskey, egg yolks and sugar.

Diners didn’t seem to want to indulge in decadent desserts alone, and chefs obliged by creating a plethora of options designed to share and even inspire socializing.

Many chefs added a classic dessert for two, such as the Chocolate Mousse Bowl for Two, a salad bowl filled with creamy chocolate mousse and topped with whipped cream, caramel sauce and hazelnut crunch, at Founding Farmers in Washington, D.C., while others kept popular desserts for deuces on the menu, such as the Tarte Tatin for Two made with Golden Delicious apples and served with crème fraiche at Alain Ducasse’s Benoit in New York City.

And though it was meant for two, three could easily share the Trio of Chocolates for Two, featuring chocolate mousse cake, profiteroles with vanilla gelato and mocha pot de crème at Kellari Taverna in Washington, D.C. Then there were the over-the-top desserts designed to wow entire tables, created by restaurateur, designer and impresario Barton G. Weiss for his new Barton G. LA—The Restaurant in Los Angeles.

Among Weiss’ outrageously shareable treats are Marie Antoinette’s Head — made with cotton candy atop a ceramic head, surrounded by raspberry and strawberry cream cheese petit cakes with fresh berries and schlag — and Pot Pie Garden, featuring Mississippi Mud, Pecan, Key Lime, Apple, Banana Cream and Cherry pies served in flower pots.

At global chain Max Brenner Chocolate Bar, a number of desserts were created to inspire sharing and socializing, including the indulgent Chocolate Dessert Pizza, featuring sweet pizza dough with melted chocolate chunks, crushed hazelnuts, bananas and roasted marshmallows, topped with melted peanut butter sauce.

Marshmallow Cocktails at The St. Regis Aspen Resort in Colorado

With brown liquors “on fire,” as chef Jason McClure of Sazerac in Seattle put it, this year more bourbon began showing up, not just at the bar, but in desserts as well.

Similarly, chef Erik Niel of Easy Bistro & Bar in Chattanooga, Tenn., makes a Blue Hubbard Bourbon Bread Pudding with blue hubbard squash puree, stale bread and bourbon custard.

The pastry team at Red Star Tavern in Portland, Ore., has Bourbon Apple Fritters with brown butter honey glaze and bourbon cream on its menu.

Also in Portland, Three Degrees features an upside-down pumpkin cake on its menu, with pecan-bourbon ice cream and toffee sauce.

3. Creative mashups There was no shortage of dessert mashups, in which chefs married traditional and modern elements to create new but familiar creations.

At Ruxbin’s in Chicago, chef Edward Kim combined the best of a fruit tart and a savory cheese plate to create his Pear Tart Tatin, served with seasonal fruit, candied walnut, Carr Valley Penta Crème ice cream (a blue cheese ice cream) and fried arugula, served atop a wooden slab.

At Sepia, also in Chicago, pastry chef Cindy Schuman used gourmet ingredients and derived inspiration from her favorite childhood Little Debbie snack cakes to create a dessert worthy of the restaurant’s Michelin star. The result was an Oatmeal Cream Pie, featuring oatmeal coconut cake with pumpkin, maple ice cream and coconut granola.

At The St. Regis Aspen Resort in Colorado, martinis meet marshmallows in Marshmallow Cocktails, a quartet of spirit-soaked marshmallows served in mini martini glasses. Flavors include Dipped Strawberry, with Godiva chocolate liqueur and crème de cacao; Candy Apple, with German apple liqueur; Hotty Toddy, with butterscotch schnapps and rum; and Candy Cane, with peppermint schnapps.

10 Food Trends Heading to Your Kitchen restaurant-hospitality.com

Nov. 12, 2014

Article by Jason Freed

There is no shortage of predictions this time of year, and the latest list comes from Innova Market Insights, which tracks food product development. In the food department, Innova outlines snacking, good fats and texture as trends that could have a major impact on your kitchen in 2015.

6. More in Store for Protein

Lu Ann Williams, director of innovation at Innova, recently pointed to 10 food trends with staying power. Williams’ trends aren’t specifically for one segment of the industry; in fact, they’re more about ingredients than about diner insights.

7. New Routes for Fruit

1. From Clean to Clear Label Innova's Lu Ann Williams notes a large increase in claims like “natural,” “organic” and “no artificial flavors.” “Just making a claim like this isn’t enough, consumers want to see more,” she says. “Where it comes from, how it’s made, is it good for you? More transparency is becoming more apparent.”

2. Foodies Cooking at Home Williams says she has seen an uptick in ready-made meals that are just a bit more gourmet. Sauces and seasoning are a big part of the movement to cook more creative meals at home, including nontraditional cuisine. At-home cooks are “moving beyond the spice rack,” she says.

3. Marketing to Millennials Yes, we’re beating a dead horse here. But no matter how sick of hearing about it you are, restaurateurs simply cannot ignore the necessity to make their brands relevant to Millennials.

4. Snacks Rise to the Occasion Let’s take a look specifically at the breakfast daypart. Williams noted oatmeal is literally everywhere today. “Snackification is a big topic this year,” Williams says, citing the ability of snacks to change the occasion for different products (e.g., a cookie becomes a breakfast cookie).

While protein has been a hot topic for years, the trend “still has legs,” Williams says. What’s emerging? alternatives to the traditional protein, such as algae products and insects. “At least some companies are testing the water,” she observes.

Williams notes many new developments in the fruit space. For one, fruit-based snacks are getting a lot of attention. Also, many products are using fruit as a replacement for synthetic sugars, allowing them to claim “no sugar added.” “Fruit juice is even being used as sugar in cookies,” Williams says. “Look for lots of opportunities to use fruit in new ways.”

8. A Fresh Look at Frozen While fresh is great, frozen foods are a great opportunity to offer portionable meals for customers. Williams says she thinks frozen is a great alternative to fresh.

9. Private Label Powers On Store brands “are here to stay,” Williams says. Certain discount stores are now considered to have good-quality products, which offers those on a budget an alternative to dining out.

10. Rich, Chewy, Crunchy Texture is an important driver for taste perception of food and beverages. Crispy is a buzzword, and foods with soft centers and extra crunchy toppings are popular. “Texture is receiving a lot more attention than it had before,” Williams says. “We know now that consumers have a preference for texture, and we think it’s going to get even more attention moving forward.”

5. Good Fats, Good Carbs “All of a sudden butter was bad and everyone ate margarine and now margarine is bad,” Williams says, in trying to describe the shifting relationship consumers have with fats. She says it’s not as black and white as consumers may think. But what is clear is the importance of labeling and informing consumers—especially Millennials— just what they’re eating.

11

Restaurant Trends to Watch www.restaurant-hospitality.com Nov. 7, 2014 www.nrn.com Nov. 7, 2014 Article by Lisa Jennings

Less formal and more fun, says Andrew Freeman, the founder of Andrew Freeman & Company, who each year releases a fun-filled manuscript of his experiences and sightings in the restaurant industry. Chefs are “letting their passions be their guide and creating places that are an embodiment of what they love,” observes Freeman. “They’re allowing diners to let loose and feel taken care of.” Here’s a snapshot of Freeman’s predictions in four categories—restaurants, food, cocktails and marketing.

Visit http://www.afandco.com for the full 2015 Restaurant & Hospitality Trend Report.

5 Restaurant Trends

5 Food Trends

1) Rise of the small city “Forget New York City and Los Angeles—think Asheville, Oakland and San Antonio. What small cities lack in hustle and bustle, they make up for in affordability, which allows for experimentation and bold choices.”

1) Taco mania “We’ve seen modern Mexican food sweep the nation, and now chefs are honing in on traditional tacos.”

2) Chefs in residence “Limited-run culinary residences are now de rigueur. It might be a teaser to a full-blown concept or a quick trip to a new city, either way, chefs aren’t afraid to take the show on the road.”

3) The balancing act “With living costs rising and the debate to raise the minimum wage raging, restaurants are facing a unique dilemma. With hourly employees in the kitchen and tipped staff in the front of house, how do restaurant owners maintain a quality workforce with unbalanced pay scales? We predicted the end of traditional tipping last year and this inequality might force the issue to a climax.”

4) Apron artistry “Chefs are turning to artisans to create durable and fashionable aprons to give personality to their chef’s whites.”

5) Incubation period “The economy is on the upswing and the demand for artisanal products continues to grow. There has never been a better time to start that cookie business, sandwich delivery service or neighborhood bistro. Culinary incubators are popping up all over the country to help these new food entrepreneurs lower the barriers to entry in this tough industry.”

12

2) Scrambled soft “First it was poached then deviled, now the new ‘it’ egg is scrambled.

And we’re talking way beyond breakfast. Scrambled eggs are what’s for dinner.”

3) Spice, spice baby “These days, restaurants aren’t afraid to bring the heat. And diners aren’t afraid to accept the challenge. With the proliferation and popularity of authentic ethnic eats, there is no shortage of dishes that pack a punch.”

4) Flavor without fat “Chefs are adding oomph to veggies with old-world cooking techniques instead of relying solely on fats to turn up the flavor.”

5) Code spread: Nduja “It’s spicy; it’s porky; it’s spreadable. The softer, malleable texture of nduja, a Calabrian spreadable cured meat, makes it a more flexible ingredient than other salami.

5 Cocktail Trends

5 Marketing Trends

1) Who you calling shorty?

“The solution to cocktail indecisiveness? The short cocktail.

Miniature versions of full-sized cocktail offerings for those who can’t decide what to order or for those who just want to sample a few things.”

1) Delicious on demand “The tech boom has boiled over to the food world and its food delivery on steroids. Will these new companies find widespread success?

Only time will tell.”

2) Sorry, you can’t take it with you (except when you can) “Bartenders tip their hats to the past and add a bit of spectacle to their presentations by incorporating flasks into the mix.”

3) Cider house rules “The craft beer movement has paved the way for an influx of artisan ciders. On tap, in bottles and even in the can, these easy drinking, sweet-yet-tart beverages are a welcome addition to bar menus.”

4) Gin up “Gin is the latest alcoholic beverage to have its moment in the sun.”

5) That’s quite a package “Restaurants and wineries are getting creative and having fun with wine presentation.”

2) Tech crunch: Restaurant edition “Technology continues to work its way into the restaurant world, too.

With pay for play reservation apps, one-touch payment and apps that make wine lists work smarter, both diners and operators reap the benefits of smartphone technology.”

3) What’s your story?

“A great story is the key to a Millennial’s heart. This savvy generation already knows about unique ingredients and the farm-to-table movement. What they want is authenticity and backstory into the places they frequent. Give them fun content that offers insight into the personalities and stories behind the restaurant and its players.”

4) Where you lead, I will follow “Social media is no longer about talking to people; it’s about getting your advocates to talk to their friends for you. Consumers want to hear from their own friends and the people they trust, so social strategy has to ignite sharing and motivate activity.”

5) Somebody’s watching you “These days we know more than ever about our guests—and that pool of data is only growing larger. The information is there, the key is how to access it and what to do with it. Some companies are even using the data to adjust and change their concepts.”

Food trends to watch in 2015: Pancakes are going savory. State Bird Provisions in San Francisco has a pancake section on the menu, with versions like sourdough pancakes with sauerkraut, pecorino and ricotta; or a horseradish-buckwheat pancake with beef tongue.

Other trends to watch include Artisinal Candy like these goat’s milk caramels with sea salt and bourbon at Simple Farm in Scotsdale, AZ, as well as the influence of Tapas and Spanish Cuisine.

12 Hottest Food Trends for 2015 www.thefiscaltimes.com Nov. 30, 2014

1. SIPPING BROTH Sipping broth seems like an easy way to meet Americans’ demand for more protein in their diet. Brands like Pacific Foods are taking notes and making it easier for health enthusiasts to access the drink, which can take up to 24 hours to make. The first take-out window devoted to shippable, sippable bone broth also recently opened in New York City, so you can now chat with your best friends around a cup of broth.

2. GRUIT ALE As Colorado beer maker New Belgium puts it, "Experimentation doesn’t mean new.” Gruit ales are revisiting an ancient way of making beer using herb and aromatic mixtures instead of the typical hops found in beer. Think horehound, bog myrtle or wormwood, which create a bitter, dry sweetness.

3. JAPANESE MATCHA TEA Matcha tea is like green tea on steroids. As a cancer fighter and fat burner, its health benefits exceed those of green tea because when you drink it, you ingest the whole leaf, not just the brewed water, as noted by Matchasource.com. The site also points out that one glass of matcha is the equivalent of 10 glasses of green tea in terms of nutritional value and antioxidant content. Almost sounds too good to be true.

4. COCONUT SUGAR Americans are always on the lookout for the next sugar substitute and this time they've found coconut sugar.

After a strong interest in recent years for everything coconut, from coconut milk to coconut water and coconut oil, it’s no huge surprise that coconut sugar would be next. Although coconut sugar is a better alternative than table sugar, it’s not the no-guilt free-for-all some manufacturers might have you believe, as recently noted by the Huffington Post.

5. FERMENTED FOODS This broad category, which includes probiotic yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchee and other fermented vegetables, appeals to the health conscious and is an old method of food preparation. Fermented foods create good bacteria that help the digestive and immune system. While it may not yet be easy to find these items at your local grocery store, farmers markets and community-supported agriculture outlets are more likely to carry them.

6. MARIJUANA EDIBLES With cannabis legal in several states now, experts are experimenting with edibles that include cookies, chocolate, power bars and flavored syrups. “Edible marijuana moves far beyond clichéd pot brownies,” noted brand development Sterling Rice in its list of 2015 cutting-edge culinary trends.

14

7. PISTACHIOS Almonds are so 2013. Make some room for pistachios, the new trendy nut that's already embraced by comedian Stephen Colbert. Pistachios help lower blood sugar and insulin levels in people with prediabetes and are a healthy source of protein.

8. FILIPINO CUISINE Asian food isn’t a new thing, especially if you live in a large U.S. metro area. But in 2015, Americans will be discovering some Asian flavors they haven’t tasted before, from Filipino cuisine to Northern Thai dishes and Japanese okonomiaki pancake, as Sterling Rice noted.

9. SMOKY FLAVORS Phil Lempert, aka the Supermarket Guru, has identified smoky flavors as one of the hot food trends for 2015, as reported by the Chicago Tribune: “After the rise of hot sauces such as sriracha, Lempert sees smoky flavors gaining the attention of cooks. Some may go out and buy a backyard smoker, while others will add liquid smoke to a recipe or look for smoked canned vegetables or smoked cheese at the store.”

10. MORE GRAINS: KANIWA AND TEFF Everyone is on the lookout for the next quinoa and there are a few contenders.

From East Africa, there’s teff, a wheat-like grain that’s gluten free as well as high in calcium, protein, iron and amino acids. From South America, like its distant relative quinoa, there’s kaniwa, a dark reddish-brown grain with a slightly nutty flavor that is also gluten free and high in protein. Which one will win the hearts of Americans in 2015?

11. KALETTES It took Tozer Seeds, a British vegetable company, 15 years to create the new vegetable, which is a hybrid of kale and Brussels sprouts and was first available in U.S. supermarkets in the fall of 2014. Kale’s popularity in the last few years has helped kalettes tremendously. “In the U.K., kale has always been sheep food,” David Rogers, the company’s sales director told Modern Farmer earlier this year.

12. SAME-DAY GROCERY DELIVERY Everyone from Whole Foods to Amazon, Walmart, Google and a slew of startups is getting into the online grocery delivery game, trying to bring customers their food as fast and troublefree as possible. “Grocery delivery is stretching into new areas and formats, with services such as Instacart offering delivery in as little as an hour,” Chicago Tribune wrote.

15

The Flavors That Could Be Hits In 2015 www.forbes.com

Nov. 30, 2014 Article by Nancy Gagliardi

What new flavors will hit consumers’ sweet and savory spots in 2015? Taking a cue from the wild popularity of pumpkin spice, food manufacturers are in search of the next big flavor trends and, no doubt, are taking cues from today’s shoppers’ taste cravings–which have evolved. Consider the following: When researchers at Mintel asked consumers about their current habits and preferences, 57% say they are adventurous eaters while 82% claim to be “open to trying new flavors.”

Here are a few of the tastes or product profiles consumers will (hopefully) embrace in 2015, according to consumer research firm Technomic, Inc., the Institute of Food Technologists and other leaders in the food-trend space: Asian flavors, especially Korean cuisine, and foods with a bitter edge (as in coffee, chocolate and hoppy beers). Also on the radar: products touting a health benefit or those marketed as small batch or artisanal, which suggests that much sought after trait of authenticity that consumers say they want as the global food chain grows less so.

So what flavors are on the horizon for 2015 that manufacturers are hoping will be hits?

1. Heat with Kick “Sriracha. It’s featured on more menus than ever before. As its popularity continues to grow, look for manufacturers to expand its role on menus by featuring it in new applications and cuisines.

Also expect to see more housemade Srirachas and Sriracha infused with other condiments. Another flavor is vinegar.

There are so many varieties ranging from sweet to acidic, and we are starting to see new uses for this ubiquitous kitchen ingredient, including featuring it in adult beverages.”

- Laura McGuire, Senior Manager, Content & Editorial, Technomic, Inc. 2. Sweet ‘n Healthy “I predict that grapefruit flavor will take off this year, specifically the Texas red grapefruit. If you’ve ever had one, it has a sensational taste that’s very sweet and unlike other grapefruit. It also dovetails nicely with consumer trends: it’s indigenous to a specific region in Texas so it’s authentic and it’s a healthy snack that is convenient and portable. Also, a branded fruit from POM called Wonderful Texas Sweet Scarletts will have a national rollout in supermarkets which should give it a boost.”

- Meg Major, Chief Content Editor, Progressive Grocer

3. Big, Bold & Smokey “The main flavors that are going to surge in retail products are Middle Eastern & North African. While ethnic flavors have been on the rise over the last decade, expect to see more regional tastes like harissa, za’atar, cardamon and sumac in 2015. Specific ethnic ingredients and flavors resonate with consumers who increasingly look for authenticity in their food. Additionally, many of these Middle Eastern & North African flavors are bold and spicy— another flavor trend that continues to soar.

A second prediction focuses on what I call ‘smoke & oak,’ or smoky and barrel-aged flavors. Going beyond well-known meat and bacon flavors, smoke adds complexity to a flavor profile; barrel aging provides a similar result. It comes from the popularity of the craft beer movement. Also, expect to see “aged in oak” on more labels next year, communicating a gourmet, handcrafted message to consumers.”

- Kelly Hensel, Senior Digital Editor, Institute of Food Technologists 4. More is Better “I think, in general, we’re going to see more combinations of flavors going forward. But I do not see anything replacing the current top flavor pumpkin spice in the coming year. With more time to research, I think we’re going to see manufacturers develop more targeted pumpkin offerings for consumers.”

- Andrea Riberi, SVP, Consumer Insights, Nielsen

Hot Restaurant Menu Trends www.nrn.com

Nov. 10, 2014 Article by Lisa Jennings

Recently, marketing consulting group Andrew Freeman & Co., based in San Francisco, released its eighth annual report on food, beverage and industry trends for 2015. Founder Andrew Freeman also offered a quick overview of trends that are dead and gone, what’s current right now, and what’s coming down the pike in the new year. Here’s the breakdown:

Out

In

Next

Beets

Cauliflower

Radishes

Kale Salad

Cabbage Salads

Banana Blossom Salads

Appletinis

15-Ingredient Cocktails

Old Fashioned Cocktails

Chops

Belly

Collar

French

Spanish

Asian Fusion

17

Top 4 Flavor Trends for 2015 www.snackandbakery.com

November 28, 2014

Today’s consumers are a diverse and growing multicultural mix of individuals, says Comax Flavors, of Melville, NY. Younger demographics and consumers’ changing eating habits are pushing the envelope for innovative flavor combinations, versatile ingredients and unique textures.

In response to changing times, Comax Flavors recently revealed flavor trends for 2015 in four distinct groups, each featuring five different flavors: Melting Pot, In a Nutshell, Breakfast Anytime and Coffee House. Flavors in each collections are versatile and can be used in a variety of food and beverage applications, including baking goods, confections, dairy, ice cream and seasonings.

Melting Pot According to the U.S. 2012 Census, both the Hispanic and Asian populations are expected to double by 2060.

The Hispanic population is projected to increase from 53.3 million in 2012 to 128.8 million, while the Asian population is expected to grow from 15.9 million to 34.4 million.

Breakfast Anytime Driven by the “snackification” of America, more consumers are eating around the clock. Breakfast is no longer just a morning meal; it’s being eaten throughout the day and night. Innovative breakfast items that are portable and convenient are emerging in both consumer packaged goods and quick service restaurants.

“The U.S. is a true melting pot, and we want to offer versatile flavors that cater to the large and growing multicultural population and younger demographics,” states Catherine Armstrong, vice president of corporate communications for the company. Flavors in this group include Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Bon Bon), Butterscotch Curry, Cherry Yuzu, Sriracha Maple and Za’tar.

“As categories are blurring, there are now more breakfast options than ever before, and we want to meet the consumers' changing tastes and behaviors,” Armstrong says. Flavors in this group include Chicken and Waffles, Honey Banana Oatmeal, Savory Butter, S'mores Pancakes and Strawberry Coconut Milk.

In a Nutshell According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the value of U.S. tree nut production in 2012 was more than $7 billion, with almonds, walnuts, pistachios and pecans accounting for most of the sales. Nuts are increasing in popularity due to their nutritional properties including omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamins and minerals.

“To address the health and wellness trend, we developed a collection of powerhouse nut flavors to emphasize their diverse tastes and textures,” notes Armstrong. Flavors in this group include Almond Rose Shortbread, Bourbon Caramel Pistachio, Pecan Chipotle, Pumpkin Praline Fudge and Vanilla Walnut Fig.

Coffee House According to the NCA National Coffee Drinking Trends (NCDT) 2014 market research study, Americans daily gourmet coffee consumption driven by espresso-based beverages is up 34% versus 31% in 2013.

Mintel expects the ready-to-drink coffee market, which includes refrigerated and shelf-stable products, to grow to $2.6 billion by 2020. Furthermore, according to IRI data, shelf-stable cappuccinos and iced coffees increased 10.6% in dollar sales in the 52 weeks ending July 13, 2014 compared with the prior-year period.

“To tap into the convenience trend and meet the demand for Barista-style coffees, we created a range of unique coffee flavor combinations that appeal to a wide audience,” says Armstrong.

Flavors in this group include Affogato, Cabernet Espresso, Cinnamon Brew, CoffTea and Vietnamese Iced Coffee.

McCormick Flavor Forecast 2015 November 2014 Now in its 15th year, the McCormick® Flavor Forecast® is on the forefront of identifying top trends, insights and ingredients driving the future of flavor. Created by a global team of McCormick experts—including chefs, culinary professionals, trend trackers and food technologists—the Flavor Forecast inspires culinary exploration and innovation around the world for years to come.

1. Global Blends on the Move 2. Liquid Revolution 3. Middle Eastern Mezze 4. Sour + Salt

5. Smoked Spices 6. Cookies Reimagined 7. Flavor Worth the Wait 8. Umami Veggies

See the following page for forecast highlights, or visit http://www.mccormick.com/Flavor-Forecast-2015 for all the recipes

19

11 Hottest Food & Beverage Trends Oct. 28, 2014 Three megatrends rise to the top of the 11 hottest food and beverage trends to come out of Baum+Whiteman’s think tank: how technology is reshaping restaurants, how chefs and manufacturers are finding new ways to combine basic flavors and, thanks to the first two developments, how authenticity is becoming a nonstarter.

Baum+Whiteman, known for creating high-profile restaurants for hotels, restaurant companies, museums and other clients, just released its predictions for next year. Here’s a condensed version of the consultants’ picks:

2. Prepaid, firm dinner commitments Restaurants with reservations backlogs are inching toward techenabled pay-for-tables systems, selling "tickets" for dinner, often nonrefundable, just like seats on an aircraft. Restaurants get paid before dinner; even before buying food, which enhances cash flow and cuts out excessive inventory because they've always got a guaranteed house count.

Even more: Using yield-management or revenue-maximizing software common in hotels and airlines, restaurateurs can introduce "surge pricing," with menus varying by levels of demand. Would it be possible that the fellow sitting next to you paid only $34 for your $56 steak because he reserved earlier? Did he get a booth while you got a miserable table because he cashed in some frequent diner points than you don't have? Might restaurants auction off their seats to the highest bidders?

The downside? Customers might start loathing restaurants the way they detest airlines.

3. Oystermania We've rediscovered oysters. They're cheap because bays, inlets and tidal basins are being detoxed, so farmers are reseeding old oyster beds and discovering new ones. Not just a few here and there, but dozens around the country.

1. Tech: The trend of 2015-2016 Forget cronuts and negronis. Forget quinoa and kale. Short of putting food into our mouths, technology is upending the way dining out works. Guest-facing technology, especially tablet ordering and mobile payments, is revolutionizing the dining experience.

Chips and pretzels are disappearing as happy hours on the coasts keep booze flowing with dollar-apiece oysters. Mixologists and sommeliers scramble for steely white wines and new cocktails to match the bivalves.

Locavores and farm-to-tableniks love the notion of plucking these critters from nearby waters, while sophisticates guess by brine, acidity and shape where an oyster's from, giving rise to the term "merroir" as a parallel to wine-related "terroir." At Waterbar in San Francisco, oyster descriptors include: tropical fruit finish; clean lettuce finish; touch of bitter herb; honeydew melon; sweet grass.

That’s good news for restaurant operators. Tables turn faster by eliminating downtime during which little happens and customers start fidgeting. Even that's not efficient enough: Skip the tablet and let people reserve a table and preorder dinner from a mobile device that also tracks how long it'll take to get to a restaurant, and then clues the host and the kitchen to prepare for liftoff. Think of a chef's joy in knowing that 20 minutes hence a party of six will want three ravioli orders (one gluten-free, one high-fiber), two orders of calamari (one fried, one grilled) and one plate of locally sourced root vegetables.

Coming: Amazing new uses for wearables like Google Glass.

With face-recognition software, a server can know the names of everyone at a table. And just wait for the avalanche of data that will emerge from ApplePay and other electronic wallets.

To read more about all of 2015’s Hottest Trends, you can download the entire report free at http://www.baumwhiteman.com/2015Trends.pdf

20

4. Restless Palate Syndrome We can't let well enough alone. New flavors, new products, radical mashups are pouring out of restaurants and food labs, and any semblance of authenticity goes out the window. Here's how we're feeding the country's restless palate syndrome:

Beyond kale: Celery root, parsnips, kohlrabi and other ugly root vegetables are grabbing attention in restaurant kitchens. Fried, mashed, puréed, gratineed; flavored with cured pork or smoked honey, these humble roots replace humble potatoes, but with lots more inherent flavor.

Seaweed beyond sushi: Seaweed may not be the next kale, but it's on the upslope of the trendline. Consumers recognize it as a packaged snack and as a California roll's wrapper. But chefs are adding it (often silently) to poaching broths, seafood sauces, even risotto, for its punch of umami and evanescent background flavor and dash of salinity.

Beyond sriracha: Look for lots more sweet-spicy sauces and condiments.

Chefs and big restaurant chains are experimenting with piquant honey: habanero honey, jalapeño honey and ghost chili honey, ginger-citrus honey... going on chicken-and-waffles, whipped into butter, mixed into salad dressings, snuck into sauces. Same thing with jams and jellies. Revered Paulie Gee's in Brooklyn spreads its already hot sopressata pizza with chili honey, getting lots of press for its efforts.

Beyond sweetened yogurt: Health-crazed consumers gorge on fruit-flavored yogurt, ignorant to the fact that they're often ingesting candy-level calories. Now we have vegetable yogurt, tomato yogurt, kimchee yogurt, yogurt with hummus and more, healthier varieties.

Beyond salsa: Hummus without borders: You've watched the rise of Greek yogurt. Now hummus — once a niche product here eaten primarily by Arab and Israeli immigrants — is following the same trajectory. Google says that hummus has out-trended salsa, no small thing since salsa dethroned ketchup. The chickpea dip has become so Americanized (i.e., piled with flavorings) that Subway is testing it as a no-meat option for sandwiches. Hummus is high in protein and fiber and low in fat, so it touches lots of dietary bases. Eight years ago perhaps 12 percent of U.S. households had it in the fridge; today that figure is 20 percent and rising. Upscale supermarkets display two dozen variations: beet, pumpkin, Thai chili, spinach-artichoke, guacamole, edamame, cilantrochimichurri, lemongrass-chili, even (oh, dear) chocolate mousse.

Another example of why "authenticity" is on the downswing.

Beyond beyond: Explore Japanese snack foods; they're so flavor-crazy that what sticks there might make it here.

Shrimp-and-Mayonnaise or Avocado-Cheese Doritos; Lay's Hot & Sour Fish Soup Potato Chips; KFC's salty gingerchicken chips; Pepsi-flavored Cheetos. Someone's making anchovy-garlic chips... which gets you halfway to Caesar salad.

Kirin is selling Salt & Fruit beverages, a combination of rock salt and fruit juices. (Korea, too.) KFC offers the bunless Doubledown: burger, bacon, cheese, two pieces of fried chicken - see below).

The principal is clear: There's a restless palate syndrome affecting young people – millennials especially.

Beyond bacon: After despoiling ice cream sundaes and whisky cocktails with bacon, the bizarre fixation on everything bacon seems to have abated. But not so for all things pork, though.

More guanciale, more pancetta, more fried ears, more cheeks, and then there's 'ndjua (not a typo), a light-up-your-mouth spreadable sausage from Calabria made, originally, from unmentionable parts of the pigs, now finding its way onto pasta, melting over pork chops, spiking mushrooms over focaccia, even blended into vinaigrettes as sauces for fish. If bold flavors are a trend, this eye-stinging, red-peppered salami is next year's bold flavor.

21

5. Big Shifts in Alcoholic Beverages Shareable punches: Your parents' preference for communal boozing is back. Now liberated mixologists in fancy places are concocting large-format punches that serve multitudes of guests, with no limits on pricing or ingredients.

At Rickhouse in San Francisco, $50 gets you a punchbowl of eight-year-old rum, lemon juice, Peychaud's bitters, ginger beer and Amaro CioCiaro (see Herbal Liqueurs, below). The ultimate, at NY's NoMad Bar, comes in a spigot jar with a cup of top-shelf cognac, an equal amount of Royal Combier liqueur, lemon juice, Demerara syrup, bitters, half a dozen lemons, a fistful of mint and lots of ice. It costs $110. Sugar Factory in various locations boasts a big list of 60-ounce shareables, including a watermelon vodka punch with a Red Bull floater. All festive and communal.

But they don't have to be so complex. After all, what's sangria if not a punch?

Herbal liqueurs: Mysterious ancient blends of botanicals— Flowers, spices, citrus peels, herbs, shrubs, tree barks—are new again to new generations of drinkers. What once were standalone before- or afterdinner drinks—chartreuse, maraschino, Benedictine, and, especially, absinthe—are now adding body and depth to inventive cocktails.

Whackadoodle hybrids: Spirits manufacturers, pandering to Millennials and women, are sweetening name-brand brown whiskies with honey or maple syrup or flavoring them with cinnamon, apples, ginger, vanilla, cherries, even pumpkin pie spices (inspired, one guesses, by Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte).

They're also trying to lure drinkers away from flavored vodkas, which are hitting a wall of boredom these days. About 40 percent of all spirits here have added flavorings. Equally deviant are shotgun marriages like Malibu Red (rum-tequila), Vodquila (vodkatequila), Grey Goose's VX (vodka-cognac), Jinzu (gin-sake), Courvoisier Rose (rose wine-cognac), Kahlua Midnight (Kahluarum), and Absolut Tune (Sauvignon Blanc-vodka-carbonation in a champagne bottle). These mashups are evidence that the case for "authenticity" in the world of F&B continues weakening year after year. In France, flavored wines (peach, grapefruit, even Coke) are popular with 18- to 34-year-olds, which means the world may indeed be coming to an end.

Soda fountain crashes the bar: Diet-be-damned adults are splashing booze into ice cream favorites. Belmont House of Smoke in Norfolk is semifamous for its Guinness Float. Punch Bowl Social in Denver features Milk-Xologist (coffee liqueur, branca menta, vanilla ice cream, nutmeg); a new 300-seat diner in New York will have a slew of "adult shakes"; Del Frisco in Atlanta offers walnut liqueur, creme de cacao and vanilla ice cream.

Vodka cedes the throne: Brown whiskey has at long last outstripped vodka in sales dollars. Bourbon, rye, blends and Scotch are enjoying a renaissance because drinkers want more body.

No one really believes vodka is "crafted," but an explosion in local distilleries around the country specializing in small-batch whiskies is riding the demand for natural, local and authentic...sort of a grain-to-bottle movement. Besides, bourbon and rye are traditional American boozes, and they're more distinctive with lots of variation from brand to brand.

6. Soda and other soft drinks: The landscape is shifting Spooked by sugar, dubious reputations of alternative sweeteners and greenies waving placards about harmful chemicals, consumers are abandoning traditional soft drinks, not only in the U.S. but in Europe. Aging boomers and skeptical Millennials alike are seeking drinks with healthful halos; never mind whether they're truthfully good for you.

Anything that stood next to a coconut sells readily. "Enhanced" in ways Mother Nature never intended, "premium hydration" readyto-drink (!) waters fly off food market shelves, proving that H2O on its own is not a soda replacement. But barely sweetened, lightly flavored (frequently artificially) waters attract consumer interest everywhere... even when carbonated.

Cucumber and coconut waters are so hot that they're being overlaid (or adulterated...take your pick) with flavors like coffee and mango and with energy-boosting ingredients. Now they're talking about maple water and even birch sap. Flavor enhancers could move to other beverages—milk, for example, and more booze products. Little packets of flavor enhancers that fit in your purse now allow you to make everything edible taste like an exaggerated raspberry or a peach bellini.

House-made soft drinks are hot among indie restaurants, slower elsewhere. Chilled specialty teas are hot at fast-casual chains, slower most other places.

Next-gen coffee shops: Pressured by rising real estate, by Starbucks' relentless evolution, and by Dunkin Donuts' fixation on its beverage business, coffee shops will rethink their business models. They've got to fill in downtimes (i.e., most of the day).

Beer and wine sometimes help, but then you need the proper go-withs, so along come limited menus that often don't augment the alcohol experience. The coffee business is moving from the "third place" to maybe a "fourth place."

The future of juicing: Remember the croissant? About 35 years ago, an intrepid entrepreneur imported from France to New York the concept of filled croissants. Within a year, croissant restaurants and croissant restaurant chains were everywhere—until Burger King co-opted the idea by selling a gummy (but popular) Croissan'wich... demonstrating that anyone could sell a degraded French pastry. Almost immediately, the specialist restaurants began closing their doors, because they were one-trick ponies.

We mention this bit of history because the same thing's happening with juices. Last year we talked about hot investor money moving into the juice biz. Today, everyone knows a healthfoodista who's opening a juice bar. Google "How to Open a Fresh Juice Shop" and you get 14,000,000 links in 0.48 seconds.

7. Clothing retailers and others crowding the restaurant space Last year, this report laid out how retail stores were putting shoppers in their aisles by grabbing restaurant traffic. Now we're looking at boldface fashion names doing the same. The objective?

To increase what we call "dwell time" – the amount of time a shopper spends on the premises. Statistically, the longer they stay, the more they spend.

Ralph Lauren will have a coffee shop in its new flagship store on Fifth Avenue, plus a restaurant in the old La Cote Basque space.

Roberto Cavalli has restaurants in nine stores, Armani lots more.

Urban Outfitters' "Lifestyle Center" in Brooklyn imported from L.A. top-chef Ilan Hall's The Gorbals and plopped it next to menswear, and a megastore in Herald Square will house New York's second Intelligentsia Coffee. Meanwhile, Conde Nast (Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ) operates restaurants and bars overseas and plans on putting GQ Bars (like one at the Marriott Marquis in Dubai) into London, Paris and New York.

Next big challenge to restaurants: Order-it-today/get-it-today meal kits for easy home cooking, and branded meal delivery services from Google, Amazon and new startups.

8. Chefs ditching four-star dining?

Chefs and restaurateurs are rethinking backbreaking, high-risk commitments to multi-star dining as customers in droves pledge allegiance to the fast-casualization of America. Why worry about critics and bloggers when, like Danny Meyer, you can strike gold with an IPO (pending) for 56-unit-and-counting Shake Shack?

Look at who's aiming to be the next Chipotle: Jose Andres is opening Beefsteak (after the tomato), a veggie-focused fast-casual concept in Washington DC. Top Chef Spike Mendelsohn is franchising his fast-cas Good Stuff Eatery. Chris Jaeckle (A Fiori, All'onda) just opened a fast-cas Brazilian-Japanese sushi joint.

Joshua Skenes of San Francisco's Saison (where you can drop $1,000 for dinner for two) is opening Fat Noodle, a Chinese hand-pulled noodle fast-cas, with Adam Fleischman (Umami Burger, 800 Degrees). Bob Kinkead in Washington opened Campono (fast-cas pizza). Brad Ogden is rolling the dice in Houston with the fast-casual cas Funky Chicken. There are many others.

10. The death knell for tipping Social and economic trends move glacially, and then seem to happen all at once. While most people pooh-poohed no-tipping restaurants as un-American, the movement has picked up considerable, possibly irreversible, momentum. One consequence of selling tickets for dinner instead is that a service charge (usually 20 percent) is automatically added.

Local governments are passing "living wage" laws, lifting minimum wages, sometimes abolishing tip credits... raising labor costs for operators. The disparity between earnings of tipped waiters and untipped back-of-house grunts is becoming a moral issue tinged with class warfare. Meanwhile, waiters sue over untipped sidework (5,000 bartenders and servers sued Applebee's, demanding minimum wage for untipped hours spent folding napkins)... and lower-level employees are incensed by how tips are distributed. And governments, grasping for every penny, make accounting for tips, benefits, meals, etc. increasingly complex and costly... all prompting operators to consider getting rid of tipping and giving everyone a higher hourly wage.

9. Say hello to neurogastronomy Last year we talked about how forward-thinking restaurants are heightening dining experiences by assaulting all the senses: diffusers oozing aromas of caramel or woodsy mushrooms, hi-def imagery altering the walls of dining spaces. Shanghai chef Paul Pairet called it "psychotasting." Turns out there's a more scientific word: neurogastronomy. It's all about how our senses cumulatively react to food, and how to profitably manipulate those senses. Example: Drinks company Diageo learned that a room with real grass and the sounds of birds makes single-malts taste grassier; substitute red lighting and curved furnishings and the drink tastes sweeter; creaking floorboards, a crackling fire and a double bass provide the most pleasurable experience (maybe explains why most bars are darks and woody).

Nestle's labs discovered that the shape of chocolate affects its flavor: Curved rather than angular chocolate bits melt better and release different flavors. Other researchers say food tastes better on heavier china... that citrus flavors clear the mouth quickly and leave you ready for more... that hard and rough foods are perceived as having fewer calories and greater health benefits (break out those taco chips)... that high-pitched music signals sweetness and bass notes suggest bitterness... that umami works with low-pitched sounds... that loud background noise reduces enjoyment of food (so much for your curated playlist).

11. Waiter, what's that fly doing in my soup?

We swat them and spray them, but many people on the planet consume insects as a protein source. The conversation about eating bugs is just beginning but it won't go away. We could eliminate lots of greenhouse gasses and cow poop if we found creative ways of using highly renewable creepy-crawlies that can overcome the yuk factor.

Insect protein bars already are on the market. And Vij, the Indian restaurant maven in Vancouver, sells a pizza-like paratha topped with crickets. Would you really care if your chips or nachos or tacos were fortified with cricket powder? If your bread got a protein boost from ladybug flour? If your pasta (gluten-free, of course) contained low saturated-fat grasshoppers? Probably you would care, but soon you may find your children scoffing at the amount of nonsustainable food you eat.

23

Top 10 Foods of the Decade www.nrn.com Nov. 11, 2014 Many trend watchers will point to kale, quinoa, Sriracha and octopus as popular foods, but yogurt, pizza and chicken sandwiches are the real stars of the American diet, according to consumer research firm The NPD Group. Its 29th annual “Eating Patterns in America Report” showed that those three foods had gained more traction as part of Americans’ diets than any other foods over the past decade.

“The real foods and beverages of the decade are those that have increased the most in American diet,” said NPD vice president Harry Balzer, who wrote the report.

For the report, the firm surveyed consumers about their eating habits during the year ending February 2014 and compared it with data collected about consumer eating habits during the year ending February 2004.

Balzer noted that, as more and more meals are eaten at home, foods that are portable and require little effort to eat are being consumed more widely. “We are still leaving the cooking to others.

With restaurant visits down, the manufacturers of our foods are filling more of the need,” he said in a press release announcing the findings.

10. Pancakes

5. Mexican Food

The percentage of Americans consuming pancakes at least once in two weeks has grown 5.3 percent during 2004-2014.

The percentage of Americans consuming Mexican food at least once in two weeks has grown 8.3 percent during 2004-2014.

9. Chips

4. Poultry Sandwiches

The percentage of Americans consuming chips at least once in two weeks has grown 6.1 percent during 2004-2014.

The percentage of Americans consuming poultry sandwiches at least once in two weeks has grown 8.3 percent during 2004-2014.

8. Frozen Sandwiches

3. Pizza

The percentage of Americans consuming frozen sandwiches at least once in two weeks has grown 6.2 percent during 2004-2014.

The percentage of Americans consuming pizza at least once in two weeks has grown 9.6 percent during 2004-2014.

7. Bars

2. Bottled Water

The percentage of Americans consuming bars at least once in two weeks has grown 6.7 percent during 2004-2014.

The percentage of Americans consuming bottled water at least once in two weeks has grown 10.7 percent during 2004-2014.

6. Fresh Fruit

1. Yogurt

The percentage of Americans consuming fresh fruit at least once in two weeks has grown 7.0 percent during 2004-2014.

The percentage of Americans consuming yogurt at least once in two weeks has grown 12.5 percent during 2004-2014.

2015 Restaurant Tech Trends www.buzztimebusiness.com Dec. 2, 2014

You probably use technology in many parts of your restaurant business, but what’s on the horizon? How will restaurants use technology in the coming year? It’s no surprise that technology is becoming even more important to the restaurant experience. Here are a few things you can expect.

Tablet ordering.

You might already have tablets at your tables, but they’ll become even more useful in 2015 as many restaurants begin using them for ordering. If customers have ever complained about waiting for service from your busy servers, you can see why ordering on tablets is so attractive. It keeps customers happy and helps out your employees. And, just as importantly, the less time customers spend waiting, the faster you can turn tables—and get more business.

Facial recognition software.

It might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but did you know that some services actually use facial recognition software to let bar-goers decide which bars to hit up? As The Guardian reports, SceneTap installs cameras in bars and lets customers know things like the ages and genders of patrons.

If that sounds a little too crazy, there’s also a more practical use for facial recognition software: by using Google Glass, bartenders can quickly find customers in a crowd.

Ordering online.

Of course, many restaurants already allow customers to order online.

For quick service or fast casual restaurants, this can be a convenient way to keep customers happy. But in 2015, ordering online will be even more prevalent. More restaurants will develop apps that allow customers to order before they even get to the restaurant. In fact, McDonald’s is testing an order-ahead and mobile payment app.

If one of the most successful restaurant chains has an app, you can be sure that even more restaurants will be quick to follow.

Apple Pay. Who needs credit cards or cash when you can pay with just a touch on an iPhone? Apple Pay isn’t everywhere yet, but it’s gaining popularity. McDonald’s, Subway, and Panera are already using it… is your restaurant next?

Personalized experiences.

Apple Pay and other similar applications will make it easier to personalize customer orders. Collecting data from customer orders can help you remember customer names, their previous orders, and any other pertinent information you need to create the best possible customer experience.

GrubHub compares user trends with chef predictions www.nrn.com Dec. 8, 2014 by Bret Thorn Every year, the National Restaurant Association surveys nearly 3,000 American Culinary Federation chefs for its annual menu trends forecast. GrubHub, the online food delivery service, compared the survey’s predictions from 2014 to its users’ trends during the year, and found that the chefs got many of their predictions right.

For example, hybrid desserts such as Cronuts and ice cream cakes were predicted to be the top dessert trend — and they were.

GrubHub users ordered these desserts 148-percent more frequently in the first 11 months of 2014 than in the first 11 months of 2013.

Pickling was the most predicted trendy preparation method, and, indeed, orders of pickled items rose 106 percent.

New cuts of meat, bite-sized desserts, Greek yogurt, wheat-free noodles, hemp seeds, currywurst and brisket — all on the NRA’s trend list — saw appreciable increases in orders.

However, for the past several years, the chefs have told the NRA that locally sourced items would be the biggest trend of the year. If that’s true, restaurants that offer delivery either aren’t sourcing locally or aren’t taking credit for it. Mentions of “local” and “locally” on menu items ordered through GrubHub fell 10 percent year-over-year.

Fastest-growing takeout items Year Over Year Change 2013-2014 Item Skillet Choc. Chip Cookie Whiting Fish Poutine Jumbo Soft Pretzel Brussels Sprouts Classic Sirloin Bacon Ranch Quesadilla Shoyu Ramen Cornbread Karaage Chicken

26

% Change 323% 199% 189% 186% 185% 180% 168% 167% 160% 154%

GrubHub found that the fastest-growing takeout menu item was the skillet chocolate chip cookie, which rose 323 percent year over year, followed by whiting and poutine, the Canadian french fry snack.

GrubHub spokeswoman Allie Mack said that shareable items were becoming more popular not only at dine-in settings, but in takeout, too.

“Our order data shows that the shared plate trend has transcended dine-in establishments, with dishes like Brussels sprouts, cornbread and skillet cookies gaining in popularity among takeout dishes in 2014,” she wrote in an email.

“Further, if you look more closely at the top-trending takeout this year, you’ll see a clear subset of dishes that speak to a trend in shared bar foods (like jumbo pretzels and poutine). Shared plates are clearly becoming more popular options within the takeout segment — which speaks to an interesting shift in takeout dinner behavior: diners may be increasingly likely to order in groups,” she added.

Trendy foods based on popularity in orders Year Over Year Change 2013-2014 Item % Change Hybrid Desserts Pickled Items New Cuts of Meat Bite-Sized Desserts Greek Yogurt Wheatless Noodles Underused Cuts of Meat Street Food Flatbread Ethnic Dips Korean Food Artisan Cheeses Healthy Seeds Local/Locally Sourced

148% 106% 26% 21% 21% 18% 4% 1% -2% -2% -3% -4% -7% -10%

Top 10 Specialty Food Trends Predicted for 2015 www.specialtyfood.com www.wa.com Dec. 4, 2014 Consumers will seek more from their food in 2015, whether stronger avors, alternative sweeteners, or snacks made with everything from plant-based meat to marijuana. That is according to predictions from the editors of Specialty Food News, the daily newsletter from the Specialty Food Association.

The $88.3 billion specialty food industry is driven by innovation and small-batch production. Six out of 10 U.S. consumers purchase specialty food, and those numbers are expected to rise in 2015, according to Association research.

"Food producers are tapping into the growing sophistication and buying power of today's consumers," says Denise Purcell, editor of Specialty Food News. "They are catering to new demands for better ingredients, sustainable packaging, and more convenient ways to shop and eat."

See the trend highlights in the chart at right, and be sure to visit http://www.specialtyfood.com/2015trends for the full story.

27

S TERLING-RICE GROUP ’S

CULINARY TRENDS FOR 2015 We are becoming sophisticated diners here in the U.S., discovering delicious foods from ever y par t of the world. Technology has helped, as has the entrepreneurial millennial generation. In 2015, expect to see deeper explorations of global cuisines and cooking methods, especially Asian; continued efforts to reinforce community connections and adopt buying habits that promote sustainability; and new foods and flavors that meet our demands for balanced nutrition as well as adventurous (and, well, “elevating”) eating experiences.

ADVANCED ASIAN

MATCHA MADNESS

Get ready for more complex and true-to-region Asian foods for 2015.

This spicier and funkier fare appeals to the “advanced” Asian food lover and goes beyond the sweet, the tame, and the friendly. Thanks to a growing group of A sian-inspired culinarians, appreciative diners are discovering Nor thern ( Issan) Thai cuisine, Japanese okonomiyaki pancakes, and the tangy flavors of Filipino foods.

In 2015, our quest for vitalit y will lead to Japanese matcha, a nutrient powerhouse green tea hit ting the market in convenient formats. Made from crushed green tea leaves, matcha is brimming with antioxidants, L-theanine, and beta carotenes. Next year’s go-to energy and wellness beverage exer t s a calming energy with less caf feine than green tea, but with more nutrient benefit s.

W H O’S D O I N G I T N O W : • Thai : Kin Khao, San Francisco ; Night + Market Song, L o s A n g e le s • Okonomiyaki : Chibo, Honolulu ; Bar Chuko, Brooklyn • Filipino : Lumpia Shack Snackbar, New York Cit y

CHECK OUT: • Teapigs Organic Matcha • Motto Sparkling Matcha Tea • Ito En Matcha Love • MatchaBar, Brooklyn

CANNABIS CUISINE

HOP-FREE SUDS

Being in Boulder gives SRG unique insight into the, uh, budding edible marijuana trend. Going beyond pot brownies, today’s edibles come in many forms, including confections, bars, simple syrups, and even bottled cold-brewed cof fee. Cookbooks, cooking classes, and nline reviewers legitimize the burgeoning industr y, which already as a food truck.

Countering the surge of IPAs, brewers are taking a cue from their medieval predecessors and using herbs, spices, and other bitter plants to provide flavor balance and aroma to beer instead of hops. These seasonings, or gruits, include mushrooms, sassafras, rosemar y, tea, hemp, and even reindeer lichen, yielding intriguing flavors instead of hoppy bitterness.

W H O’S D O I N G I T N O W : • Mir th Provisions Legal cold-brewed cof fee • Craf t Elixirs flavored TCH-oil-infused simple syrup • Samich Food Truck from MagicalButter.com

S I P O N T H ES E : • New Belgium Brewing Company : Gruit— horehound, bog myr tle, yarrow, elder flowers • Ear th Eagle Brewings: Vinni Ferale Gruit— wild grapes, wormwood, sweet gale • Cambridge Brewing Company : Heather Ale —Scottish floormalted barley, heather, lavender

INCENDIARY CHARCOAL

LOCAL GRAIN NETWORK

Thanks to the rise of grilled Asian foods, more chefs are turning to ancient styles of charcoal. Japanese charcoal, or binchotan, is kilned oak that burns at 1,652° to 2,192°F in a clean, odorless, and smokeless way that allows food to cook fast and retain natural flavors. Thai charcoal per forms a similar feat. Beyond the grill, charcoal is also coloring breads, crackers, lemonades, and even beaut y products.

Regional grain economies are growing with farmers raising smallscale alternative grain varieties and selling them to local bakers, brewers, chefs, and consumers, who are in turn using mills to grind fresh flour for bread, pizza, and pastries. With more farmers’ markets selling locally grown grains, expect a bigger demand for counter top mills, grain-milling appliances, and products made from fresh-milled flour in 2015.

FE E L T H E B U R N : • Sumi Robata Bar, Chicago • Charcoal Restaurant, Denver • Pok Pok Thaan Thai-St yle Charcoal Logs • Fine English Charcoal Squares, The Fine Cheese Company

COCONUT SUGAR SWEETNESS Sugar is in the doghouse these days and has many gravitating toward less processed sweeteners like coconut sugar. Made from coconut blossom nectar, it has a lower glycemic index than white sugar and more nutrients, adding a sweet halo to granolas, confections, and spreads in the natural channel. Coconut sugar also appeals to sweetsloving Paleos and home cooks making Southeast Asian recipes.

TASTE SOME : • Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola • Kika’s Treats Salted Caramels • Hope Foods Chocolate Spreads

TRY SOME : • Chicago : NellCôte restaurant ; Baker Miller Baker y and Millhouse • Communit y Grains flour and pasta • Wolfgang Grain Mill ; Vitamix Dr y-Grain Container

FARM TO T TA ABLE KOSHER Seeking to eat in a more sustainable, conscious, and cultural way, millennial Jews are star ting to keep kosher, suppor ted by a rise in small businesses of fering better tasting, better sourced, and more varied kosher fare. These include ar tisan Jewish delis, handcraf ted bagel shops, and restaurants that also appeal to non-Jews attracted to food that seems cleaner and purer.

W H O’S D O I N G I T N O W : • Los Angeles: Ditmas Kitchen & Cocktails; Wexler’s Deli • N ew Y Yoork Cit y : Russ & Daughters Café ; Black Seed Bagel • Grow & Behold Kosher Pastured Meats

HUNGER GAMES: RESTAURANT EDITION

UGLY FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MOVEMENT

What combines communal dining, pop-up restaurant novelt y, chef competitions, and crowd-sourced creation? It’s 2015’s newest restaurant concept, incubators that support aspiring chefs with kitchens, dining spaces, and marketing power. Diners vote with their forks.

In line with growing concerns over food waaste this French-born trend gives misshapen and funny-look table and in recipes where looks don’

VISIT: • Kitchen LTO, Dallas: features chefs chosen through social media • EatsPlace, Washington, D.C. : four-month stints in a historic row house • Avanti Food & Beverage, Denver: opening in 2015. Will house aspiring concepts in shipping containers © 2014 Sterling - Rice Grou p

“People around the globe are uniting ways to reduce food waste. Ef for ts a under way here to raise awareness to and to find resourceful ways to manag supply and feed the hungr y at the sa — Kara Nielsen, SRG Culinar y Direc tor