Now the National Restaurant Association weighs in on restaurant trends for 2010. Locally grown and sourced products, farm-branded ingredients, sustainable seafood, a back-to-basics approach, nutrition, allergy awareness and better-for-you children’s meals are among the top trends identified by 1,854 professional chefs, members of the American Culinary Federation. Some of the “hot” items revealed in the survey: ancient grains, grass-fed beef, mini desserts, black garlic, artisinal cheeses, house-made ice cream, micro-distilled liquor and gluten-free beer.
photo source: Flickr, patrick properties
Here’s a list of the top 50 trends and the percentage of chefs ranking them as “hot.” Check the link to Restaurants & Institutions for the full list of 150 trends.
1. Locally grown produce 88%
2. Locally sourced meats and seafood 84%
3. Sustainability 80%
4. Bite-size/mini desserts 79%
5. Locally-produced wine and beer 79%
6. Nutritionally balanced children’s dishes 77%
7. Half-portions/smaller portion for a smaller price 75%
8. Farm/estate-branded ingredients 75%
9. Gluten-free/allergy conscious 74%
10. Sustainable seafood 73%
11. Superfruits (such as acai, goji berry, mangosteen) 73%
12. Organic produce 73%
13. Culinary cocktails (savory, fresh ingredients) 73%
14. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor 72%
15. Nutrition/health 71%
16. Simplicity/back to basics 70%
17. Regional ethnic cuisine 70%
18. Non-traditional fish (such as branzino, Arctic char, barramundi) 70%
19. Newly fabricated cuts of meat (such as Denver steak, pork flat iron, petite tender) 70%
20. Fruit/vegetable children’s side items 69%
21. “Kid cuisine”/gourmet children’s dishes 69%
22. Artisan/house-made ice cream 67%
23. Ethnic breakfast (such as Asian-flavored syrups, coconut milk pancakes) 66%
24. Organic wine/beer/liquor 64%
25. Exotic fruit (such as durian, passion fruit, dragon fruit, paw paw, guava) 63%
26. Artisinal cheeses 63%
27. Black garlic 63%
28. Food-beer pairings 63%
29. Specialty iced tea (Thai-style, Southern/sweet, flavored) 62%
30. Craft beer/microbrews 62%
31. Ancient grains (such as kamut, spelt, amaranth) 62%
32. Tapas/mezze/dim sum (small plates) 62%
33. Dessert flights/combos 61%
34. Bar chefs/mixologists 61%
35. Grass-fed beef 61%
36. Flatbreads (naan, papadum, lavash, pita, tortilla) 60%
37. Free-range poultry/pork 60%
38. Gluten-free beer 60%
39. Ethnic fusion 60%
40. Micro-vegetables/mico-greens 59%
41. Organic coffee 59%
42. Specialty beer (seasonal, fruit, spiced) 58%
43. Children’s entree salads 58%
44. Inexpensive/underused cuts of meat (beef cheek, brisket, pork shoulder, skirt steak) 58%
45. Umami 58%
46. Savory desserts 57%
47. Flower syrup/essence 57%
48. Heirloom tomatoes 56%
49. Specialty/gourmet sandwiches 56%
50. Specialty potatoes (purple, fingerling, Baby Dutch yellow) 56%
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Ah, I’m glad to see chefs are starting to target healthier foods, and a wide variety of them such as heirloom items, as “hot”. I hope that cheaper restaurants can also adopt this philosophy, not just solely the super expensive restaurants.
I’m excited to see nutritionally balanced children’s dishes. I’ve recently started ordering food for my toddler when we go out–instead of packing something–and it’s very frustrating to see only fried items.
There is obviously a lot to know about this:D In my opinion you have made a lot of good points in your post:)
My friend and I were arguing about an issue similar to this! Now I know that I was right. lol! Thanks for the information you post.