At last week’s 2016 RCA Annual Conference & Culinology Expo, Richard Calladonato, executive chef at Campbell Soup, provided insights into 10 trends that his team has predicted will drive the food and beverage landscape this year. To identify these trends, the team examines what’s happening in five “TrendPoint” areas: restaurants, the media, marketplace, professional, and culture and cuisine. They then map the trends on the Culinary TrendScape—the six stages in the evolution of a trend, beginning with Discovery, when a trend first emerges within a limited but influential group, to Introduction, Adoption, Mainstream, Established and, finally, Expanded when the trend reaches a global audience.
Through this process, the Campbell’s team has identified the following trends for 2016:
Cooking with Fire: Top chefs are embracing the elusive flame and rediscovering the extreme flavors and textures that can come from cooking over wood- and charcoal-fueled hearths, from charred to blackened, to intentionally burnt foods. This trend has just emerged in the Discovery stage but has been seen in high-end restaurants in dishes such as blackened avocado, char-grilled leeks, vegetable ash-coated veal, and ash-roasted bone marrow.
Authentic Thai: Homestyle dishes born of the street food culture found throughout Thailand, like khao soy curry noodle soup and tangy, minced meat larb salads, are just a few of the authentic dishes to hit independent restaurants offering a deeper dive into this cuisine. Currently in the Introduction stage, this trend is top-of-mind to a culinary-minded audience and highlighted in restaurants such as Pok (Portland, Oregon) and Sticky Rice (Los Angeles).
French Revival: The return to French classics is a refreshing take on comfort food, and this time around the genre is more about honoring tasty traditions like cassoulet, coq au vin, and kouign-amann pastries than it is about old-fashioned elegance or stuffy service. Also in the Introduction stage, the popularity of this trend can be seen in the desire for foods such as quiche, poutine, crepes, and macarons.
Inspired Ice Cream: Independent ice cream parlors are stepping up their flavor game, shifting the focus from artisan craftsmanship toward all-out artistic style that boasts unexpected flavors, novel toppings, and fanciful frozen dessert formats, from layered sundaes to complex sandwiches. This trend is gaining traction with a larger audience, placing it in the Adoption stage, as more consumers become familiar with artisan ice cream makers such as Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Salt & Straw and flavors ranging from Stumptown Coffee & Bourbon to Wildberry Lavender.
Traditional Fats: From whole milk to coconut oil, fuller fat foods—and the rich, robust range of flavors they provide—are trending as a growing number of people give these foods a second chance.
Veg 2.0: The vegetable revolution marches on, as cauliflower, beets, carrots, radishes, and leafy greens of all shapes and sizes lead the most fashionable ingredient and preparation trends on restaurant menus, from fine dining to fast casual. The vegetable is moving to the center of the plate, and while this means a decrease in traditional meat proteins on the plate, it doesn’t necessarily portend an increase in vegetarian or vegan plates. Dishes such as beet tartare and carrots wellington utilize umami-rich ingredients to bring a heartiness to their vegetable centerpieces.
Asian Noodle Soups: From creative ramen to classic Vietnamese pho, buzz continues to build around the brothy, Asian-inspired noodle bowls served at ethnic and emerging restaurant concepts specializing in this modern-day comfort food. This trend finds itself securely in the Mainstream stage, as evidenced by the plethora of restaurants—both fine dining and fast casual—serving noodles. This includes Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York, Slurping Turtle in Chicago, and even Panera Bread, whose menu includes a Soba Noodle Broth Bowl.
Haute Dogs: The iconic, all-American frank is getting the star treatment at hip hot dog joints, baseball stadiums, and backyard gatherings with eclectic toppings and creative takes that are transforming this classic street food fare from hot to haute. This trend has entered the Established stage, as demonstrated by the debut of hot dogs on Burger King menus.
Simple and Real: Clean is the new green, and consumer demand for wholesome food options with fewer and simple ingredient is quickly becoming the most powerful influencer shaping today’s food landscape. For this Established trend, transparency is the new must-have ingredient. Fast-casual restaurants such as LYFE Kitchen and Sweetgreen epitomize this trend by sourcing healthy, local, and organic ingredients and clearly labeling calories, fat, and other nutrients in each dish.
Caramel: There’s a growing global love affair with caramel that’s here to stay. The cooked sugar confection has edged its way to the top of the flavor trend charts, waking up a wide range of categories ranging from coffee to cocktails. Campbell’s identifies this as a “power trend” that has reached the Expanded stage of trend evolution.
