Welcome to Ask the Chef! Chris Koetke will answer your pressing culinary and operational questions from his perspective as a seasoned restaurant veteran and culinary educator. We’re launching with a look at the most important trends affecting food today.
Given the obvious limitations on which food items we could consistently execute in our environment, what would be some recommendations for current and future trending food items?
I spend a lot of time looking at trends in the United States and international trends that could spill over into the American foodservice market. In culinary education, where I spend my professional life, trends matter greatly because they guide us on what we should teach. We focus on macro trends, which are the ones that will be around for years to come and will impact the food world and spawn smaller micro trends. It is these macro trends that deserve the most attention within the convenience market, because they are here to stay. The three that I would suggest are:
- Healthy. This is most often not what comes to mind when thinking of food traditionally served in c-stores, which is exactly why it is so important. What I do not mean by healthy is serving unappealing and non-tasty foods that nonetheless fit a nutritional profile. Worse yet is putting stickers on foods that indicate low fat or high fiber, for example. Both will limit consumption. Instead, focus on foods that are fresh, ingredients that consumers know are healthy (such as grains, greens, chicken breast, etc.), and preparations that limit fat. Make healthy desirable.
- Authentic. Consumers increasingly desire more authentic foods. These consumers travel, watch food TV and scan the Web. Along the way, they learn what foods are like in other parts of the world. Upgrade your pizza offerings with different cheeses, unique meats and other unexpected toppings such as Kalamata olives instead of the usual and less flavorful California black olives. Explore Asian noodle salads, of which there are a plethora to choose from. These salads are also fresh and nutritious, which helps with the first trend. Switch out popsicles for more interesting and flavorful Mexican paletas.
- Local. Local is an offshoot of the sustainability super-mega trend. Local supports local economies and celebrates local growers and producers. Imagine fresh, ready-to-eat locally raised fruits and vegetables at a c-store. How unexpected would that be?! The c-store could become a hub of local breads, pastries, sausages and cheeses. Sandwiches could be made featuring local products. There is certainly work up front to get this set up, but once it is, be sure to tell the story behind each product and educate the consumer about the products. It is a sure differentiator.
Christopher Koetke is vice president of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Chicago. He is a certified executive chef and certified culinary educator by the American Culinary Federation. Have a question for Chris? Email awestra@cspnet.com, subject “Ask the Chef.”
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.