Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I love surprises—especially when they are of the culinary sort. When Prepared Foods asked me to write about future food trends, it led me to think about all the change our food and beverage industry has endured during the past few years. I also am thinking how we’ve adapted so quickly, and with such extraordinary ingenuity. I started to reflect on what surprised me the most and what sort of change we can expect in the future.

For centuries, cooks have artfully cross-pollinated cultural elements of flavor, and now culinologists are combining Latin and Asian ingredients and cooking techniques to launch innovative and flavorful prepared foods. Today’s retail shelves display a world atlas of culturally inspired experiences that might not be authentic yet answer the consumers’ desires to nourish themselves with fresh new takes on flavorful foods that simply taste good.

Students find themselves in culinary school having come from many different backgrounds and having traveled down many paths. Some are cooks that are ready to move into a more challenging role in the kitchen; others want to learn new skills in baking by becoming a pastry chef; and others are building on years of cooking experience, having had no formal training. I found my way to Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School by way of music. 

As consumers continue to use off-premises options in all dayparts, restaurants are looking to translate their dine-in experience outside the four walls of the restaurant with thoughtful packaging that maintains food quality, retains temperature, and is tamper-proof.

CuliNex, a clean label food product consultancy, introduced two new members of the expanding product development team. 

Darifair Foods, a culinary and food science-focused provider of flavor and functional ingredients for restaurants and food manufacturers, announced a new company name and brand identity: Rubix Foods.

Prepared Foods talks coffee ingredient and beverage trends with Chef Eric Nakata, a 20-year food and beverage industry culinary expert. 

Mattson, a leader in food and beverage innovation announced its newest service, ProtoThink LTO™, during The Flavor Experience foodservice industry event in Monterey, Calif., on September 8. This new platform is a revolutionary way for foodservice operators to create exciting, limited time offers in as little as two to three months and help drive users to QSR and Fast Casual brands.