November-December 2018

The recent Mise Conference presented valuable and relevant content and showcased a number of creative and memorable food and beverage items that translate to on-trend opportunities. Here are four flavor-forward takeaways from the event.

Mac and cheese serves up a great platform for innovation. More sides and shareables, cast-iron serving pans, bite-sized balls, unique add-ins, and longer noodles are also becoming the norm among trend-forward menus. Doing something different—and doing it well—is key to transforming mac and cheese from a stalwart side into a buzz-worthy bite.

Milk Bar in New York started the cereal milk craze a few years back. Now, operators are maximizing the emotional tie most diners have to cereal, then upping the game by featuring both the cereal milk and cereal in pancakes, cocktails, desserts and more.

Today, the snacking category is huge, and the bar bite category continues to deliver a world of flavor-forward, fun choices. Candied bacon, meatballs, tots, veg-centric dishes like Crispy Squash Blossoms are all on the menu.

Smoke’s distinctive air is wafting into new categories, including cocktails, fruit, vegetables and honey. Here are 10 trend-forward ideas for featuring creative smoked options on your menu.

What better springboard for seafood innovation than Lent? Seafood consumption up, and there’s a general uptick in excitement around seafood. The pathway to success follows two strategies that walk hand-in-hand today: flavor and sustainability.

Estevan Jimenez is the executive chef and culinary instructor at Rancho Cielo Youth Campus in Salinas, Calif. He shares five flavors that inspire his culinary creativity.

Instagrammability is becoming part of menu strategy today, particularly when trying to woo younger consumers. It’s not enough to make plate presentation appetizing. Gorgeous colors, interactivity, unexpected flourishes, tableside drama—all make the dining consumer click and share. Here are 12 ways to shine on Instagram, garnering that social-media love.

Combined with the functional benefits of the traditional spices—turmeric, clove, fenugreek and cinnamon—this potato-based take on the shawarma can boast better-for-you benefits—as well as showstopping creativity

Mixologists continue to introduce innovative new cocktails, but the classics never go out of style. These drinks are standbys for a reason: well balanced, broadly appealing, reliably satisfying, nicely nostalgic. They’re enjoying a refresh as operators look to create new experiences with familiar favorites

At Modern Market - a fast casual based in Denver that serves farm-fresh, artisan food, including wholesome grain bowls, modern salads and toasted sandwiches - director of culinary operations Nate Weir talks about how he worked to source exactly the right salmon, then showcased it in a Curried Salmon Bowl LTO, before developing a Salmon Caesar Salad that quickly became the No. 2 seller in the overall menu mix.

There are really no limits to flavor play in the breakfast space. We bring you inspiration. Salmon tacos. Avocado chicharrones. Adjarian Khachapuri - a flatbread from Georgia. A Roasted Pear, Spinach and Gorgonzola Omelette. And much much more.

There’s a precision to the global mash-up at Nahita in Boston, where the pantry pulls strategically from Peru, Japan, Mexico and Turkey, staying true to authentic ingredients while combining them in new and intriguing ways.

Sauces are the silver bullet, armed with craveability, uniqueness and, of course, flavor. Their role in plate composition isn’t new, but the opportunity today sees chefs leveraging the culinary might of sauces and wielding it in unique and memorable ways—all with the strategy of building a flavor impact that knocks their guests' socks off

Welcome to the November/December 2018 issue from Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Cathy Nash Holley

Aron Habiger is chef/owner of On the Lam, a traveling pop-up culinary concept based in Santa Ana, Calif. We asked him to share a flavor trifecta that demonstrates creative, unexpected flavor play.

Modern applications of compressed watermelon featured at two Oakland, Calif., restaurants

How Barton Seaver draws inspiration from Portugal when building his fish menu offerings.

To identify what is being done to drive appeal and sales of cocktails at trend-forward concepts, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits set out on its second-annual fact-finding tour. The standout discovery this year is the creative and sophisticated use of high-impact ingredients that introduce unique profiles to classic cocktails. Based on our research, here are four key opportunities in the cocktail category.