In addition, the What’s Hot in 2015 survey found that the top five alcohol and cocktail trends will be micro-distilled/artisan spirits, locally produced beer/wine/spirits, onsite barrel-aged drinks, regional signature cocktails, and culinary cocktails.
Items that gained most in trendiness since last year in the annual survey included underutilized fish, doughnuts, ethnic condiments, grass-fed beef, brown/wild rice and grilled vegetables. Items with the largest drop in “hot trend” rating included bruschetta, kale salads, nose-to-tail cooking, hybrid desserts and housemade soft drinks.
When asked which current food trend will be the hottest menu trends 10 years from now, environmental sustainability topped the list, followed by local sourcing, nutrition and ethnic cuisines and flavors.
The chefs were also asked how they feel about customers taking photos of their food and posting on social media during their meals. Nearly three in five chefs said it’s free advertising and should be encouraged, and about a third said it’s fine as long as they’re discrete. Only one in 10 chefs said it’s disruptive and should be discouraged.
Get the full results at Restaurant.org/FoodTrends, where you can read up on the trend-meter status of gluten-free cuisine, Greek yogurt, cronuts and more going into 2015.
Photo:Wild rice is growing in popularity with diners according to the NRA’s What’s Hot survey for 2015, and not merely as a pilaf. These melt-in-your-mouth hushpuppies from Chef Michael Holleman make a Southern staple even tastier and more interesting—and healthier thanks to whole grain in the batter. View the recipe at www.inharvest.com/recipes/wild-rice/wild-rice-hushpuppies.