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Hot Culinary Ins and Flame Outs in 2007
Chefs regularly rearrange menus, use cutting-edge preparation and presentation techniques, and combine food in unique ways. Which hot culinary trends will burn bright in 2007 and which have already gone down in flames?
Culinary Bits and Pieces
Chef’s tasting menus, which offer three, four, or five courses, have affected the culinary scene in a big way. Discerning diners can also order ‘small plates’, which are smaller, cheaper versions of a restaurant’s entr��es. Mix and match menus that allow customers to choose a little of this and a little of that have become extremely popular, providing diners with knowledge about new foods, a sense of adventure about trying something new, and control of their dinner destiny. And, they can finish off their hand-selected repasts with another tasty new item—bite-size desserts accompanied by a demitasse of free-trade coffee.
Fresh Choices
Any ingredient identified as sustainable, local, seasonal, organic, artisanal, grass-fed, and free-range is all the rage, with grilling and pan searing as the preferred cooking methods. According to a recent National Restaurant Association survey, the number of farmer’s markets has grown more than 110 percent since 1994 and the Slow Food movement with 80,000 members worldwide is still gaining ground.
Yes and No
Organ meats, sweetbreads, kiwi, edible flowers, blackened anything, and meat salads are out— likewise Ethiopian, Scandinavian, and German cuisine, replaced by Pan-American and Mediterranean specialties. Fresh herbs, exotic mushrooms, pomegranates, and infusing meats and fish with intense flavors—cilantro, rosemary, and garlic—are culinary trends currently in favor. The jury is still out on foams and spumas—some say “still in,” while others cry, “definitely out.”
Culinary School: Just Do It!
Food trends change rapidly, which is what makes a culinary career a compelling choice. With new trends coming into favor almost daily and old fads fading from memory just as quickly, there are almost limitless opportunities to make your mark in this mercurial industry. All you need is your culinary degree and your imagination.
Sources
FoodArts.com
National Restaurant Association
About the Author
Judi Sandall is a technical writer and a regular Chef School Review columnist. She is a graduate of the State University of New York, with a BA in English Literature.
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