Part of what I love doing is figuring out what will be the big clean eating culinary trends of the year. Most of what I predicted last year came true, and now for 2015, you’ll find everything from cricket cuisine to ‘shroom mania and an African superfood called Baobab that will pop up in everything from drinks to desserts. Even USA Today caught wind of my trend report and picked up baobab as being a trend to cater to youth. I’ve reprinted the article here below. For my complete 2015 Food Trend report, click HERE.
Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY
So, what’s on your plate for 2015?
Some surprising culinary trends will take shape in the new year as America’s foodies and young foodies-in-training drive the evolution of the nation’s appetite.
USA TODAY contacted food and culinary gurus and reviewed some year-end projections by food experts to highlight these top 10 food trends for 2015:
1. Dining goes Hollywood. Gone are the days when eating out was a private, personal experience. Because so many Millennials have turned eating out into an Instagram-worthy moment, restaurants will increasingly design their dishes — and even their lighting — to be far more photo-friendly, restaurant consulting firm Technomic says.
2. Craft beer begets “craft” food. Not to be confused with Kraft Foods, craft foods — like craft beers — are typically made in small batches with specialized, local ingredients. Not only will this trend flourish, but major food makers will look for ways to jump on the train, food and supermarket guru Phil Lempert predicts.
3. Healthier kids meals. Goodbye, burger and fries. Hello, soup and salad. Better-for-you kids meals will be one of next year’s strongest food trends, according the the National Restaurant Association’s survey of 1,300 professional chefs.
4. Cauliflower is the new kale. Cauliflower will replace kale as the coolest — and most versatile — veggie, projects Stacy Baas, brand strategist and trends watcher at Earthbound Farm, one of the nation’s largest organic produce growers. Look for items such as cauliflower mac & cheese and cauliflower crust pizza, she says.
5. Culinary cannabis. As more states and localities legalize marijuana use, the herb will increasingly show up in baked goods, candies and other foods “for that extra punch,” the Specialty Food Association projects.
6. The next super fruit. Whatever pomegranates, acai and goji fruits were to trendy fruit eaters in recent years, an African fruit called baobab (pronounced “bowbab”) could be in 2015, says chef Mareya Ibrahim, aka “The Fit Foodie.” It’s an excellent source of fiber and calcium and will increasingly show up in beverages, baked goods and cereals.
7. Tech goes viral. Everyone from McDonald’s to Starbucks is experimenting with new technologies to make and sell food. That’s why 2015 will be the year when electronic wizardry escapes from restaurant kitchens to more widely show up in the front of the house, projects Baum + Whiteman, an restaurant consulting firm.
9. Vegetable yogurt. Overly sweetened fruit yogurts will continue to lose market share and vegetable yogurts — made with veggies such as beets, as well as others with tomato and butternut squash — with start to gain favor, according to Baum + Whiteman.
10. Gen Z appeal. Sure, Millennials still matter, but in 2015, restaurants and other food sellers will begin to refocus on Gen Z — the youngest generation, born in 1995 and later, Technomic’s report says. Among other things, that means heightened dining experiences, more visuals and, yes, louder music.