In her blog on healthful food and beverage for events, foodie Tracy Stuckrath of Thrive! Meetings & Events often inspires new ways of thinking.
Following are 5 foodie trends she’s seeing right now:
Interactive stations
It’s more enjoyable when we demonstrate the essence of hospitality by facilitating exchanges between chefs and guests. Foodies enjoy strolling buffets and build-your-own stations with ideas like BYO ceviche carts, rolling dim sum and the ever popular ice cream sundae cart.
Ugly veggies
Chefs are challenging themselves to create hearty, tasty and satisfying plant-based dishes, which in turn leads to innovative creations and the involvement of ugly root vegetables. Ugly and lesser known veggies are not only making it onto more plates, but into centerpieces.
Pickled and fermented foods
Nostalgic, comforting and traditional cookery is in. Look for more relish, cured meats, preserves, kombucha tea and more.
Eastern spices
Spices associated with the East are making more of an appearance. Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East are inspiring bold menus, hotter spices, and varied textures. Expect to see more unami, kimchi, seaweed and fermented chili paste.
No-waste kitchens
Innovative chefs have created no-waste menus. Kitchens and restaurants have given themselves no-waste badges. More emphasis has been put on reinventing leftovers and minimizing excess.
