Sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions
Today’s food-savvy diners are seeking unique and interesting culinary experiences, and operators need to continually innovate to satisfy these consumers’ curious palates.
As diners have become increasingly familiar with ingredients and flavors from an array of global cuisines, operators are innovating by weaving these items into other familiar forms. These new creations can give globally inspired dishes a creative twist that helps differentiate menus, attract customers, and drive sales.
At the same time, operators are also seeking back-of-house solutions that help them keep a lid on costs and meet other consumer demands around sustainability, nutrition, and local sourcing, for example.
Following are specific trends that operators can act upon as they consider menu innovations that meet these overlapping consumer demands, with recipe ideas designed to inspire operators’ own creativity.
Modernized Comfort Food
One way to create new menu items is to rethink traditional comfort foods from around the world, using on-trend forms that make them more accessible to today’s consumers. History is full of examples of ingredients and dishes that were once commonplace, such as ancient grains, that can be revived in newly created dishes for the modern consumer.
“It’s always fun to recreate globally inspired dishes while bridging the gap between traditional and modern cuisine,” says Brandon Collins, executive chef for Unilever Foodservice Solutions North America.
Unilever Customer Chef Cori Boudreaux demonstrates one way to do this with his Huevos Rancheros Flatbread. The dish features a flatbread base, spread with refried beans that are then topped with a fried egg—a poached egg can be substituted in high-volume commercial kitchens—then topped with ranchera sauce made using Knorr Professional Caldo de Vegetales and a drizzle of chili-lime mayo made with Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise.
Another idea is to blend comfort foods from different culinary traditions—such as French onion soup and ramen. That’s what Dana Cohen Mayer, corporate marketing chef for UFS North America, did to create her French Onion Ramen, which features short ribs, Knorr Liquid Concentrated Beef Base, and other seasonings, along with Gruyère cheese, yellow onions, and ramen noodles.
“French Onion Ramen is a modern take on an old-school classic,” she says. “Both dishes evoke nostalgia and comfort, so their combination feels like a natural way to bring this dish to the next level.”
Low-Waste Menus
Vegetable trimmings and other byproducts of kitchen prep don’t have to get donated to the waste or compost bin. Creative chefs are increasingly finding ways to repurpose would-be waste in interesting—and profitable—new forms.
“Anything that you don’t throw into the bin is going to translate to dollars on the plate,” says Chef Collins. “Utilizing would-be waste provides excitement for customers and also forces us chefs to be more creative and adventurous.”
His Spent Grain Detroit-Style Focaccia, for example, includes spent grain pizza dough and carrot top pesto made from the trimmings generated by the carrots used in the carrot aioli, which is made using Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise, hot sauce, and vinegar.
Chef Alvaro Lima, senior corporate chef for UFS North America, likewise suggests a Pozole Verde recipe that can accommodate a variety of ingredients, based on what’s on hand.
“The cool thing about this dish is it really can be made with other vegetables like squash, carrots, or broccoli,” says Lima, whose recipe features king trumpet mushrooms. “Also, if you have chilies or tomatillos that are about to turn or cilantro stems that usually go in the waste bin, this is a great way to utilize them.”
Commercial kitchens can make this soup and package it in bulk format, and then add the garnishes when ready to serve.
Irresistible Vegetables
Vegetables not only meet consumer demand for nutritional content, but they also can add visual appeal to dishes.
Chefs around the world are leaning into the rich culinary tapestry that vegetables can provide, creating plant-forward menus in which ingredients such as butternut squash, mushrooms, and falafel take center stage.
Dishes such as veggie sushi and bowls that combine various greens and grains are among the platforms that chefs can chose from to create plant-based offerings that cater to consumer demand for plant-based dining. Operators are finding that veggies can often take the place of proteins in new, innovative creations that leverage the flavors and textures that the vegetable garden yields.
Chef Cohen Mayer’s Hot Honey Caramelized Butternut Squash Tostada recipe calls for cubed butternut squash to be tossed with hot honey, olive oil, thyme, Knorr Professional Caldo de Vegetales, garlic, cinnamon, and smoked paprika. It is served on ancient grain pitas and topped with a fried sage and kale blend and whipped feta.
While the butternut squash makes this an ideal autumn dish, Cohen Mayer suggests it can also be made with other seasonal vegetables, such as artichokes in the spring or tomatoes in the summer. She also suggests that for commissary kitchens, the veggies could be stored like a salad, with the pitas and whipped feta on the side.
“Diners will be more likely to try something new if it’s tied to familiar dishes like a taco enhanced with simple, yet-flavor-packed ingredients,” she says.
Local Abundance
Chef Collins’ Local Cheddar, Sunchoke Tetelas tap into the agricultural bounty of New York state, with their use of Black Dirt Onions, which he candies using canola oil, brown sugar, Maille Dijon Mustard, and sherry vinegar.
“Using local ingredients at the peak of their seasonality always ensures the best flavor,” he says.
Other chefs have embraced hyper-local sourcing using methods such as vertical farming onsite and rooftop gardens, which not only minimize the environmental impact of transporting products to the restaurant, but also give these operators a great story to tell.
The New Sharing
Sharable dishes align with several consumer trends, including the desire for more connectivity in the wake of the pandemic and the enjoyment that in-person shared experiences can bring. Operators are also finding ways to incorporate globally inspired flavors and ingredients into these shared dishes, whether they are appetizers, entrées, snacks, or desserts.
Kyla Tuori, corporate chef at UFS, suggests a Korean-Inspired Pull-Apart Bread, for example, featuring braised Korean beef on a pizza dough, with a kimchi dip. The braised Korean beef is made with English-cut short ribs, Knorr Professional Demi-Glace, and other ingredients. The kimchi dip features kimchi, Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise, and soy sauce.
“This shareable appetizer leverages the longstanding trend of mashups,” says Tuori. “It is whimsical, decadent, and Instagram-worthy.
“Creating dishes that are rooted in familiarity, but are influenced by global flavors, is a great way to introduce unique ingredients to diners across a variety of channels,” she says.
Competing in today’s environment requires that operators offer innovative and flavorful menu items that can be created efficiently and consistently. As consumers have become increasingly receptive to flavors and ingredients from around the world, operators can tap into global cuisines to create dishes that meet these preferences, and at the same time address demands around things like waste reduction, veggie-centric eating and local sourcing.
For more information and inspiration to help your foodservice operation innovate around globally inspired trends, including the recipes described above and others, download Unilever’s Future Menus 2024 Trend Report.
