March-April 2018
Stories in this Issue
Beverage | Cocktails | Digital-exclusive content
Using Unique Ingredients to Elevate the Cocktail Experience
Why you should consider uncommon beverage ingredients when designing new beverages or bar menus in the coming months and seasons.
Trend Solutions
8 Menu Trends That Prove the Power of Pickling
When it comes to high-impact ingredients, a pickled element should be a go-to
Dozen Ways | Seafood
12 Ways with Seafood
12 seafood categories where opportunities abound, helping answer the call for new and exciting while satisfying a desire for wholesome protein choices
10 Beverage Upgrades | Beverage | Cocktails | Coffee & Tea
10 Next-level Beverage Ingredients
10 beverage ingredients and flavors that are stirring up serious menu interest
Partner Content | Recent | Video
River & Woods Redefines Avocado Sushi with Fresh AFM
Watch Chef Daniel Asher of River & Woods craft an innovative twist on the classic caprese sandwich.
Global | Ingredients
Flavor Find: Mole's Magic
The array of moles, served on a wooden platter with rice, demonstrates the menu potential of this craveable sauce.
Publisher's Page Mar-Apr 2018
Welcome to the March-April 2018 issue from Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Cathy Nash Holley
Daypart Trends | Street-level Trends
2018 Trends Tour - part 1
Gerry Ludwig and his culinary team’s annual street-level trends tour visits 113 restaurants and tastes 1107 dishes to bring you actionable insights into current food trends
Baked Egg Dishes
Baked egg dishes are an easy menu addition and allow for endless creativity using existing inventory items
Add a Crunchy Accompaniment
Considerations when using hash browns and rösti to add value to dishes
Menu Matters | Strategy
The Main Event
How is innovation in other parts of the menu affecting modern entrée development? How are shifting consumer demands impacting the evolution of what an entrée looks like?
Street-level Trends
Three Menu Standouts
Frico and French onion dip are among some of the menu standouts from Chef Gerry Ludwig’s 2018 trends tour. See how they’re creating buzz on menus.
Daypart Trends
The World of Breakfast
The shifting definition of what counts as breakfast food now embraces flavors from around the globe
Flavor in Focus
Pizza Pizazz
Creative ingredient play, unexpected flavor combinations and brand compatibility all mark the modern pizza trend
Flavor in Focus | Poultry | Technique & Technology
For the Love of Fried Chicken
Fried Chicken can deliver fantastic results that build revenue, buzz and return visits.
Commodity Boards | Produce
Salad Spinners
Inspirations for salad builds with a modern flavor narrative
Beverage | Non-alcoholic
Nonalcoholic Refresh
Insight into five key areas for nonalcoholic menu development: soda, lemonade, coffee drinks, tea and fermented beverages
5 Starter Strategies for Beverage Programs
Tips for starting and enriching your non-alc beverage program
Beverage | Non-alcoholic
Trending Flavors in Non-Alc Beverages
On-trend flavors in soda, lemonade and tea in 2018, according to Datassential
Dessert
Room for Dessert
Infusing a brand’s personality into dessert offerings marks a sweet opportunity today
Ingredients
10 Butter Upgrades
Leverage butter’s magical ability to enrich and lengthen flavor experience while carrying trending flavors flawlessly
10 Flavor Upgrades | Ingredients
Flavored Butter Applications
The potential flavor combinations and ingredients that work in compound butters are virtually endless
Takeaway
Signature Flavor: On the Fry
This dish demonstrates how chefs can apply a tremendous amount of creativity to fries through brines, glazes or infusions
Chef's Notes
Flavor Trifecta: Andy Little
Andy Little of Josephine in Nashville talks about his flavor trifecta
Chef's Notes
Flavor Playlist: Will Eudy
Will Eudy shares his go-to ingredients that help build a great flavor story
Dessert | Global | Top 10 Trends
Sweet Indian Mash-ups
In Indian mash-ups, subtle moves show up as a gentle touch, an easing in of flavor. The result is significant, offering delicious flavor discovery
Flavor in Focus
Fried Chicken: 4 Ways to Win
4 ways to make your fried chicken dishes truly your own - using your story, flavor building, careful choice and use of oil, and choosing the right cut