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Will 2016 be the year of Sauvignon Blanc and cucumbers, or will acai bowls and fried chicken reign supreme? Probably neither, or maybe a little of both. It’s hard to say, what with 2016 being in the future and all. What you might expect depends on which trend prognosticators you follow. But looking at expectations from consultants on the East Coast, the West Coast and internationally, and from chefs across the country, there are some areas of agreement.
Looking at trends predicted by San Francisco-based Andrew Freeman & Co., New York-based Baum & Whiteman and international brand consultancy Mintel, as well as the responses from members of the American Culinary Federation surveyed by the National Restaurant Association in its annual What’s Hot survey, a certain consensus does emerge.
Here’s a look at trends highlighted by multiple sources that stand a good chance of gaining ground in 2016.
Baum & Whiteman pointed to the fact that even White Castle now has vegetarian sliders as a sign that meatless food is well and truly mainstream. That trend is spurred by high beef prices and growing interest in local produce and the healthful qualities of vegetables.
The chefs surveyed by the NRA ranked “locally grown produce,” as the third hottest trend for 2016, and Freeman & Co. agrees, declared vegetables “the hero of the year.”
“People want less animal protein and are requesting that veggies are ramped up to their fullest creative potential,” Freeman said.
Pronounced po-kay, this Hawaiian dish of raw fish mixed with salty components and other flavorings such as nuts and chile oil has become mainstream in Los Angeles, and Freeman and Baum & Whiteman see it going mainstream in 2016. Freeman sees Hawaiian food in breaking out of Los Angeles, and points to restaurants in San Francisco, Seattle and New York offering the cuisine of the nation’s 50th state.
Baum & Whiteman added Salt Lake City and Boston to that list, and noticed build-your-own poke bars at Metropolitan Market in Seattle and at some Whole Foods Market locations.
Freeman pointed to the “now-ubiquitous Sriracha” as an indicator of how widespread spicy food is, as well as the fact that chiles are finding their way into desserts and cocktails. Baum & Whiteman pointed to the growing trend of Nashville-style hot fried chicken as well as the emergence of spice blends that combine heat with other taste elements, such as the sweet-spicy Korean paste gochujang, Ethiopian Berbere and Japanese shichimi-togarashi. Chefs surveyed by the NRA noticed a similar trend, and put “ethnic condiments and spices” among the top 20 predictions for 2016.
Different trend watchers identify this notion differently. Freeman points to restaurants curtailing waste and using stems and cores that used to be thrown away. Calling the trend “discarded to delicious,” Freeman said “You will find that chefs are embracing and utilizing the bits and pieces of all sorts of ingredients that were previously discarded to create delicious new dish.”
Baum & Whiteman point to “clean menus,” and the removal of ingredients such as artificial colors, food made from genetically modified organisms and protein raised with antibiotics. They also noted a rise in environmentally sound packaging in retail snack foods.
Chefs surveyed by the NRA ranked “natural ingredients/minimally processed food” as the fifth biggest trend for 2016. Mintel, too, said that eco-consciousness is now simply a reality. “In 2016 sustainability evolves from being good for the bottom line to being a necessary new product development consideration for the common good,” it said. It also declared that artificial ingredients are “Public Enemy No. 1,” a trend well established in Europe and becoming more mainstream in the United States.
Freeman noted that operators have responded to consumers posting pictures of their drinks by creating “Instagram worthy garnishes from gold dusted flowers, dehydrated fruits, sugar stirrers and designer straws.” Mintel noticed this trend in packaged foods, which the firm suggested should consider using “vibrant colors and novel shapes to make packaged products worthy of consumer praise and social media posts.”
Mintel also noted a growing interest in home cooking “not only for the sake of nourishment, but for the purposes of sharing one’s creations via social media.”
