F
rom veggie-centric meals to game-changing fried chicken dishes,
these are the top food themes emerging on menus around the country.
BY NICOLE POTENZA DENIS
PROMINENT
C U L I N A R Y
TRENDS
FOR 2016
5
1
Center Plate Vegetables
With a focus on flavor, veg-centric dishes are edging out meat proteins to become
the star of the plate. In fact, "Root-to-stem dining is a logical extension of the nose-
to-tail movement," notes international restaurant consultant Baum + Whiteman
in its 2016 "11 Hottest Food and Dining Trends" report. The report states there
will be more "vegetable-forward restaurants ... with increasing numbers of chefs
deploying flesh as a condiment ... not as the main act on the plate."
"Vegetables at the center of the plate is definitely emerging as a major macro
trend," agrees Cristine Shipley, corporate research & development chef at Food
IQ, a consumer/customer insight-driven innovation firm based in Springfield,
Missouri. "Chefs are embracing this trend because they can still deliver boldly
f lavored menu items in new and inventive ways, and the inherently low-cost ingre-
Chefs like Dan Barber of
Blue Hill at Stone Barns are
showcasing baby carrots
with a ham dusting while
in San Francisco, AL's Place
ofers vegetable-centric main
courses with side dishes of
meat such as pork belly,
smoked brisket, or foie gras.
38 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com
culinary trends
