Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/654717
A Classic Favorite sof™ 2014 Gold Winner 800.372.6808 | Seattle, WA franschocolates.com Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 4621 Among the game-changing chicken offerings: Shake Shack 's Chicken Shack sandwich; David Chang's debut of his chicken sandwich shops, Fuku and Fuku+ in Manhattan, which offer a spicy, fried dark-meat chicken sandwich on a potato roll with the umami addition of Ssäm sauce; and Boxcar Betty's in Charleston, South Carolina, which sells fried chicken sandwiches with pimento cheese and peach slaw. Even the entry of Chick-Fil-A in New York City was met with glee, with lines to enter spanning blocks even months after its opening. "Fried chicken has been America's No. 1 eaten food for ages and everyone has a recipe for it," says chef consultant Cassandra Quinlan, former chef at Harvist Harlem in New York City. "Today's twists and touches of ethnicity pay homage to this iconic comfort food." culinary trends INSECTS ON THE MENU—GO OR NO GO? T here's no denying the buzz about bugs is growing, especially in packaged foods. But does it have staying power on menus? Consumers' desires for healthful, filling snack choices made with alternative protein sources rather than high sugar and carb content, have bolstered options such as jerky, chia, nuts and seeds, and now, sustainable snacks made with insects. Companies like EXO, Bitty Foods, and Six Foods are early adopters in the use of crickets, a source of sustainable nutrition and a high-protein alternative. San Francisco-based Bitty Foods, whose culinary director is chef Tyler Florence, offers high-protein baking cricket flour as well as ready-to-eat cookies made with cricket flour in flavors like Orange Ginger and Cocoa Chia. Florence was recently at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco to promote the product and co-founder Leslie Ziegler says the company has "a number of wholesale customers and can do direct sales or go through distribution for flour, cookies, and chips. "We are encouraged to see top chefs like Rene Redzepi at Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, one of the top restaurants in the world, include insects on his menu," Ziegler adds. Only time will tell if the insect trend sticks around. Though there are environmental benefits, some trend watchers believe interest could fade. "Outside of adventurous consumers looking for an experience, sustainability supporters looking to change their consumption habits, and nutrition and fitness enthusiasts interested for nutritional value, we don't anticipate seeing real consumer demand for crickets, grasshoppers, or other insects on the menu anytime soon," says Cristine Shipley, a research & development chef at Food IQ, a consumer/ customer insight-driven innovation firm based in Springfield, Missouri. Companies like EXO, Bitty Foods, and Six Foods are early adopters to the use of crickets, a source of sustainable nutrition and a high- protein alternative. 42 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com