Waffles and sandos and bennies, oh my! Many of the chefs participating in Kitchen Collaborative 2025 set themselves the personal challenge of creating one or more concepts designed to innovate breakfast menus, demonstrating new forms of familiar favorites and unexpected ingredient pairings. Cookie dough at breakfast? Yes, please. Elevated egg bites? Bring ’em on. Lamb ham, anyone? Thank you, ma’am! Lentil waffles and crêpes? Morning glory.

As Flavor & The Menu shares a final sneak peek of menu concepts that intrigued us, the Kitchen Collaborative 2025 sponsors continue to evaluate hundreds of submissions—creative inspirations across all dayparts—in an effort to identify the top concepts that intrigue them. In just a few weeks, we’ll announce the 12 winners who will travel to Dubai with Flavor & The Menu and Summit F&B in 2026 to attend the renowned Gulfood Show. Will one of the breakfast concepts highlighted here rise and shine? Stay tuned.

MODERN SAVORY STARTS

Clockwise from top left: Keith Brunell’s Lamb Ham Monte Cristo with Hoisin Blackberry Jam; David Mahady’s Lamb Pastrami Brunch Slider with Lentil Tots; Christian Hallowell’s Lamb Ham Hash with Chili Crisp Essence; Tiffany Sawyer’s Breakfast California Cheddar Monte Cristo

Lamb ham from Aussie Select proved an inspiration for several chefs eager to shake up traditional takes on the popular breakfast protein. Making a hash of it was Christian Hallowell, senior director of R&D, Bloomin’ Brands, whose “hearty, foodservice-friendly” Lamb Ham Hash with Chili Crisp Essence also features sautéed onions, red and green peppers, and golden potatoes. Starting with the idea of elevating the classic pairing of lamb and potatoes, Hallowell conceived a refined twist on a comfort food staple, crediting the Lee Kum Kee Chili Crisp Oil with “infusing the hash with a lingering, fragrant heat and umami-driven complexity.” The challenge, he continues, “was finding the right balance of spice without overpowering the delicate flavors of the lamb. I’m pleased with how the combination turned out.”

David Mahady, executive chef, The Royal Sonesta Boston, featured Aussie Select’s product in his Lamb Pastrami Brunch Slider with Lentil Tots, a hearty and on-trend breakfast or brunch offering. “The peppery flavor of the lamb pastrami works well with the acidity of the pickled red cabbage,” he says. A poached egg, grain mustard aïoli and a dark rye roll finish the build. The crispy red lentil tots are served with ketchup spiked with Lee Kum Kee Sriracha.

“Old school classics are making a comeback,” acknowledges Keith Brunell, former senior director food and beverage, Nordstrom Restaurants, of his riff on a beloved brunch sandwich. The build for his Lamb Ham Monte Cristo with Hoisin Blackberry Jam starts with Aussie Select Lamb Agave and Rosemary Ham, adding Wagon Wheel cheese from Real California Milk and Dijon mustard. For the dipping sauce, Brunell uses Kikkoman’s Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce in a hoisin plum and blackberry jam.

Tiffany Sawyer, corporate director of culinary and beverage, First Hospitality, took her Monte Cristo inspiration from California cheddar, “to drive uniqueness in the breakfast daypart,” she says. The toasted sandwich gets a dash of sweetness from powdered sugar blended with warm baking spices and is paired with a currant-cherry jam. “The currant-cherry jam adds a deep, jammy sweetness with tart undertones, cutting through the richness of the sandwich,” she adds. “The sharp, nutty and slightly tangy California cheddar provides a robust cheese flavor that balances out the sweetness.” In all, her Breakfast California Cheddar Monte Cristo is a well-rounded handheld fit for any daypart.

OPEN-FACED GETS A MAKEOVER

Nathaniel Malone’s Ricotta Toast (left) with lavender salt, pistachio-spinach-ginger pesto, Sumo mandarins, roasted yellow beets and a fried egg; Denise Covert’s Ricotta Toast (right) with mascarpone cheese, orange zest, blood orange slices, honey drizzle and bee pollen.

The pursuit of fresh translations of the open-faced avocado toast provides a flavor playground for chefs like Nathaniel Malone, corporate executive chef, Creative Dining Services. “The breakfast segment is brimming with potential for new ideas,” he says, pointing to the opportunity found in innovative toast creations. “By incorporating less common ingredients, we can introduce fresh excitement and intriguing flavor combinations to the breakfast menu.” Malone used Ricotta con Latte from BelGioioso as the foundation for his Ricotta Toast on a seeded sourdough. His elevated take also includes lavender salt, pistachio-spinach-ginger pesto, Sumo mandarins, roasted yellow beets and a sunny-side-up crispy fried egg.

“Working with ricotta cheese is a pleasant experience because of its light, creamy texture and mild slightly sweet flavor,” says Denise Covert, culinary innovations manager, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, using the BelGioioso product as inspiration for her Fancy Ricotta Toast. She doubled down on the indulgence by blending ricotta with mascarpone cheese, offsetting the richness with a punch of citrus from both orange zest and blood orange slices. The decadent toast is finished with a warm, spicy-sweet honey drizzle and bee pollen granules, “contributing floral, earthy notes and a slight crunch,” she says.

MEXICAN-INSPIRED MORNINGS

Clockwise from top left: Jesus Garcia’s Tikka Masala Breakfast Tacos; Josh Graber’s Chorizo & Black Bean Breakfast Tostada; Luis Haro’s Breakfast Nachos

Consumers can’t get enough of breakfast items rooted in Mexican cuisine, whether that’s found in flavor, format or both, and several Kitchen Collaborative chefs leveraged this popularity. Take, for example, the Breakfast Nachos developed by Luis Haro, senior director of culinary, SPB Hospitality. “Crunchy tortilla chips are topped with cheesy chorizo, smashed lentils, chili crisp and fresh ingredients,” says Haro, who made good use of products from Real California Milk, Tyson, Lentils.org and Lee Kum Kee.

Josh Graber, culinary director of Salata, also opted to play with the Hillshire Farms Chorizo Crumbles from Tyson, developing the Chorizo & Black Bean Breakfast Tostada, which is served with avocado, Cotija and habanero-pickled onions. Graber has his eye on doing more with the versatile chorizo. “I already have an idea for a new menu item for our 103 restaurants,” he says.

Other chefs creatively stretched the boundaries of “Mexican-inspired.” Consider the Tikka Masala Breakfast Tacos from Jesus Garcia, product development and commercialization manager for 7-Eleven. Inspired by the Tikka Masala Lamb Roast from Aussie Select, Garcia found similarities between Mexican salsa and the Indian dish, so “why not mash these up?” He cubed and toasted the lamb and combined it with salsa, mint and lemon. “It’s a fusion of two unlikely cuisines,” he explains.

Sam Blackburn, senior culinary manager, Sodexo, incorporated migas, the traditional Mexican breakfast dish, into his egg-bite-inspired creation using products from Real California Milk, Tyson and Lee Kum Kee. “I love protein-packed egg bites, and I wanted to incorporate some of my favorite Southwest flavors,” he says. Blackburn’s Breakfast Bites are “a bold blend of smoky chorizo, nutty Wagon Wheel cheese and crispy migas, balanced with creamy eggs and a bright Southwestern finish.”

AN INJECTION OF INDULGENCE

Clockwise from left: Dawn McClung’s Triple Chocolate Biscuits; Rajiv Jaggi’s Lentil Crêpes; Afrand Nikoukar’s Cookie Dough Liege Waffles

Flavor play with breakfast and brunch mainstays like pancakes, waffles, crêpes and biscuits also produced a wide array of inventive menu concepts:

• Peanut Butter Flutter Pancakes from Andrew Kintigh, corporate chef, Casey’s, featuring Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough. “It’s a fun way to give permission to eat cookies for breakfast!”
• Lentil Crêpes flavored with garam masala, cilantro and scallions and filled with a citrusy shiitake-lentil stuffing from Rajiv Jaggi, director of culinary development for Sodexo. “Growing up, I ate lentil crêpes for breakfast and after a recent visit to Paris, I wanted to make a lentil crêpe as a carrier for a variety of stuffings and toppings.”
• Chaat Lentil Waffle with Tikka Lamb Ham Hash, developed by Nathaniel Malone, “is an attempt to be respectful of the rich culture of food in India, while showcasing a unique way of bringing those flavors to the breakfast segment and appeal to the American audience.”
• Cookie Dough Liege Waffles, from Afrand Nikoukar, culinary innovation and new ventures, Chipotle, are made with yeasted dough, studded with chunks of Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate chip cookie dough in place of pearl sugar. “As it cooks, the cookie dough melts and caramelizes, creating crispy edges, soft centers and bursts of chocolate in every bite.”
• Triple Chocolate Biscuits are the inspiration of Dawn McClung, manager of culinary innovation and R&D, Piada Italian Street Food. “I wanted to think outside the traditional cookie box and use the cookie dough as an ingredient. I simply replaced the butter with the cookie dough. It gives the biscuits the right amount of sweetness, with chocolate layered throughout.”

Kitchen Collaborative 2025 is further proof that there’s no limit to the culinary creativity that continues to transform modern menus, expanding the flavor experience for diners of every demographic and daypart. Look for the best of the best of this year’s concepts to be announced later this month, with profiles of the winners to follow in the months ahead.