Chefs grow lukewarm to insects, foam and gazpacho

Nothing lasts forever, including food trends. What was hot yesterday might now be yesterday's news. The National Restaurant Association's What's Hot in 2015 culinary forecast identifies food and drink items that are no longer trending on menus. For 2015, insects as an alternative protein, foam garnish, and chilled tomato soup top the list of yesterday's news.

Rounding out the top 10 list of things that were trendy at one time, but professional chefs now believe are not anymore, are bacon-flavored chocolate, popovers, mini-burgers/sliders, molecular gastronomy, edible flowers, flavored water, and tater tots. Further, sweet-potato fries, fun-shaped kids' items and liquid-nitrogen freezing also ranked high on the yesterday's news list.

"When an item is losing ground as a hot trend, it can go one of three ways. It can move toward becoming a perennial favorite on menus - something that is timelessly popular. It can bounce back as trendy soon after dipping as a yo-yo trend that hasn't quite found its place yet. Or it can fade away further to become a fondly remembered thing of the past," said Annika Stensson, the National Restaurant Association's senior manager of research communications. "Only time will tell which way this year's yesterday's news items will go."

In addition to identifying yesterday's news items, What's Hot in 2015 chef survey also analyzes items that have lost the most momentum as hot trends since the previous year's survey. Some of those items still show up toward the top of the hot trends list, but fewer chefs now rate them as a hot trend, indicating that they are cooling off. For 2015, bruschetta, kale salads and nose-to-tail cooking each lost 10 percentage points in their hot-trend rating. In addition, hybrid desserts, house-made soft drinks and gluten-free cuisine lost ground. 

In the What's Hot in 2014 survey, nose-to-tail cooking had gained 16 percent as a hot trend, making this year's drop less severe. However, Greek yogurt lost 11 percent in its hot-rating in last year's survey, and another 6 percent this year.

The NRA surveyed nearly 1,300 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) – to identify trends on restaurant menus in 2015. The survey asked the chefs to rate 230+ culinary items as a hot trend, yesterday's news, or perennial favorite. 

What's Hot in 2015? Discover new menu trends

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 dessertss, 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. 

“Best Chefs” fete to benefit Children’s Hospital, culinary scholarships

The American Culinary Federation—New Orleans Chapter (AFC-NO) will host its annual fundraiser, Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. at Generations Hall. More than 30 notable chefs will be honored, each as one of the Best Chefs of Louisiana and prepare a signature dish for attendees. Proceeds benefit Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Transport Program, which includes the only helicopter dedicated solely to pediatric transport in Louisiana, and the ACFNO’s Culinary Scholarship Fund.

The event includes the honoring of this year’s class of chefs, a silent auction, a live band, and of course, stellar cuisine. 

Honored chefs include: LRA members Andrea Apuzzo of Andrea’s; Chris Montero of café b and Café NOMA; John Folse of R’evolution; and Tenney Flynn of GW Fins. Featured chefs include: Ben Thibodeaux and Darin Nesbit of Dickie Brennan & Co.; Guy Reinbolt of Broussard’s; Phillip Lopez of Root & Square Root; and others. 

Pastry chefs include: Arlety Estvez of L’Auberge; Brett Gauthier of Ralph Brennan Group; Kelly Fields of Restaurant August; Lisa White of Domenica and Megan Forman of Gracious Bakery.

The event also recognizes “Up & Coming Chefs,” such as Cristina Quackenbush of Milkfish; Dana Honn of Carmo; Jared Rising of L’Auberge; Justin Jones of Phil’s Grill; and Kid Chef Eliana.

Tickets to the event are $75 per person and are available at www.acfno.org or by phone at (504) 896-9375. 

Healthful foods, child nutrition tops on NRA's trends survey

Providing more healthful and flavorful menu options for children has ranked as a top culinary trend in the National Restaurant Association’s 2014 What’s Hot Culinary Forecast.

According to this year’s survey about 1,300 professional chef-members of the American Culinary Federation, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and oven-baked items all ranked as top trends in the category of kids’ meals. This year’s respondents further noted they make strong efforts to ensure their dishes and recipes are more healthful.

Additionally, the survey determined that in the categories of healthful dining and child nutrition, five trends in particular ranked as Top 20 trends overall. They were:

4. Healthful kids’ meals
7. Children’s nutrition
12. Whole grain items in kids’ meals
13. Health and nutrition
19. Fruits and vegetables as children’s side items

“The What's Hot survey confirms the enthusiasm we are hearing from chefs and restaurants participating in the Kids LiveWell program,” said Anita Jones-Mueller, founder and president of Healthy Dining., the California-based nutrition consultant and co-creator of the NRA’s Kids LiveWell child nutrition initiative. “The Kids LiveWell choices emphasize lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy -- the ingredients that help our nation’s children grow, thrive and be their best.”

Thomas Macrina, the ACF’s national president, agreed, saying, “The American Culinary Federation chefs who took part in this survey understand that…ongoing efforts to provide more healthful foods –especially for children benefits everyone. Chefs recognize that nutrition is a vital component of the foodservice industry, and constantly revise and update recipes to reflect the concerns and desires of a diverse group of consumers who are looking for good food choices to best meet their nutrition and other needs.”

Joy Dubost, the NRA’s director of nutrition and healthy living, added that the information contained in this year’s survey is encouraging because “it shows this is a true trend and not just a fad.”

What's Hot Culinary Forecast predicts locally-sourced food as top restaurant trend of 2014

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) each year prepares its What’s Hot culinary forecast of menu trends for the coming year. The NRA surveyed nearly 1,300 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) – to find which food and beverage items will be hot trends on restaurant menus in 2014. 

Top 10 food trends for 2014:

1.         Locally sourced meats and seafood
2.         Locally grown produce
3.         Environmental sustainability
4.         Healthful kids' meals
5.         Gluten-free cuisine
6.         Hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens)
7.         Children's nutrition
8.         Non-wheat noodles/pasta (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat)
9.         Sustainable seafood
10.       Farm/estate branded items

For complete What’s Hot in 2014 results, video and downloadable images, visit Restaurant.org/FoodTrends.

“Today’s consumers are more interested than ever in what they eat and where their food comes from, and that is reflected in our menu trends research,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the National Restaurant Association’s research and knowledge group. “True trends – as opposed to temporary fads – show the evolution of the wider shifts of our modern society over time, and focus on the provenance of various food and beverage items, unique aspects of how they are prepared and presented, as well as the dietary profiles of those meals.”

“The American Culinary Federation chefs who took part in the survey understand that sourcing locally and environmental sustainability tie in with ongoing efforts to provide more-healthful foods for everyone, especially children,” said Thomas Macrina, CEC, CCA, HGT, AAC, ACF national president. “Chefs recognize that nutrition is a vital component of the foodservice industry, and constantly revise and update recipes to reflect the concerns and desires of a diverse group of consumers who are looking for good food choices to best meet their nutrition and other needs.”

The What’s Hot in 2014 survey also found that the top five alcohol and cocktail trends will be micro-distilled/artisan spirits, locally produced beer/wine/spirits, onsite barrel-aged drinks, culinary cocktails (e.g. savory, fresh ingredients), and regional signature cocktails.

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, health-nutrition, children’s nutrition and gluten-free cuisine.

The five items with the highest ranking as a waning trend in 2014 were foam/froth/air, bacon-flavored chocolate, fish offal, gazpacho, and fun-shaped children’s items. The five items with the highest points as perennial trends next year were fried chicken, Italian cuisine, frying, barbeque, and Eggs Benedict.

The five items that gained most in trendiness since last year in the annual survey were nose-to-tail/root-to-stalk cooking, pickling, ramen, dark greens, and Southeast Asian cuisine. The five items with the largest drop in “hot trend” rating were Greek yogurt, sweet potato fries, new cuts of meat, grass-fed beef, and organic coffee.

Compared with five years ago, items that have remained top 20 food trends include locally grown produce, healthful kids’ meals, gluten-free cuisine, sustainable seafood, and health/nutrition. Items that have dropped substantially down the list from the top 20 food trends in 2009 include gelato, micro-greens, flatbreads, tapas/meze/dim sum, and dessert flights.

Also included in the What’s Hot in 2014 survey were questions about other trends. Nearly six out of 10 (59 percent) of the chefs said they always make efforts to adjust dishes and recipes to be more healthful, while one-third (33 percent) said they cook with nutrition in mind, but that not all recipes are easily adjusted.

When it comes to technology trends, the chefs ranked menus on tablet computers as the top trend, followed by smartphone apps for consumers (ordering, reservations, daily deals, etc.), smartphone apps for chefs (recipes, table management, POS tracking, etc.), mobile payment and social media marketing.

The NRA surveyed 1,283 American Culinary Federation members October-November 2013, asking them to rate 258 items as a “hot trend,” “yesterday’s news,” or “perennial favorite” on menus in 2014.