The 10 best-selling categories have shifted since just 2013, and today, cheese is still tops, but refrigerated pasta, functional beverages and nut and seed butters show big gains. Why should we care? Because foodservice is an increasingly important sector to that industry, with growth of nearly 31% since 2012.

The specialty-food industry is a bright spot in the U.S. economy. In 2014, sales of specialty food topped $100 billion for the first time, with retail and foodservice sales reaching a record $109 billion.

Retail sales of specialty-food sales grew 19% from 2012 to 2014 versus a tepid 2% increase for all food. The industry, fueled by small businesses, now boasts 15 segments that exceed $1 billion in sales, including cheese; coffee; meat, poultry and seafood; chips, pretzels and snacks; candy; and yogurt.

These findings are from a new report from the Specialty Food Association produced in conjunction with research firms Mintel International and SPINS/IRI. The report, “The State of the Specialty Food Industry 2015,” tracks U.S. sales of specialty food through supermarkets, natural-food stores, specialty-food retailers and foodservice venues. Specialty foods are broadly defined for the report as products that have limited distribution and a reputation for high quality.

Fresh mango, in abundance this summer, delivers flavor, color, texture and nutrition to menus. To celebrate, Chef Allen Susser shares his recipe for a refreshing fruit salad.

When June rolls around this year, be prepared to observe Mango Month with style. Fresh mango delivers both flavor and nutrition, qualities restaurant patrons appreciate, while mixing easily with savory, sweet and spicy ingredients. And fresh mango is plentiful, especially during the summer months.

“Fresh mango is available year ʾround, but we typically see the highest volume overall with at least three mango varieties in the market in June,” says Rachel Munoz, marketing director for the Orlando, Fla.-based National Mango Board. “The crop comes just in time to kick off summer with the unmistakable, signature flavor that fresh mango brings to menus.”

Emily Williams Knight—the newest of three educators on the NRAEF’s board—is committed to helping more Americans achieve meaningful, fulfilling careers in the restaurant industry via a respected national industry platform.

Emily Williams Knight, president of Kendall College, Chicago, is among the newest members elected to the Board of Trustees of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association (NRA).  Knight was welcomed to the board at the NRAEF’s annual meeting on Jan. 30 in Orlando, Fla. She will serve a two-year term with the possibility of serving two additional two-year terms. Knight is the first representative of Kendall College to serve the NRAEF in this capacity in the foundation’s 28 years.

As a new trustee of the 35-member board, Knight represents not only Kendall College’s Schools of Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Business to the NRAEF, but also the farther-reaching role of higher education in supporting the NRAEF’s strategic initiatives. These include creating educational programs that provide pathways to employment in the restaurant and foodservice industry and supporting an effective communications program that conveys opportunities for advancement in the industry, as well as the impact of community engagement.

Familiarity with cooking and incorporating lentils into various menu applications can help your students meet nutrition regulations, budgets and consumer demands when they become foodservice professionals.

Foodservice educators not only need to prepare their students to meet expanding nutrition regulations in schools and healthcare settings, but to simultaneously cater to increasing consumer preferences for healthy, affordable and sustainable ingredients that—above all—still taste good. Allow us to introduce a dark horse in helping foodservice educators rise to meet this challenge: lentils.

Top 10 Facts Your Students Need to Know About Lentils

1. Lentils are nutritional powerhouses. They are cholesterol-free and sodium-free, and loaded with potassium, folate, iron and fiber. One serving of lentils boasts nearly half as much protein as a serving of pork, and two times as much proteinas a serving of quinoa.
2. Lentils naturally cater to a variety of specialty diets, including gluten-free, vegetarian and allergen-friendly. Lentil flour can even be used as a wheat-flour alternative to make gluten-free baked goods (like the cookies pictured).

Two decades ago, dining out was primarily a special occasion. Today, it’s part of daily life for all Americans. But what differentiates the prepared-food-away-from-home choices of a “foodservice hobbyist” and an “affluent socializer”? Technomic offers an in-depth view of the current consumer foodservice landscape.

Technomic’s New Consum4Sight Group gathered data points from 81,870 consumer foodservice occasions over one full year to reveal a look ahead at the 2015 landscape. One surprising pattern: More than half of eating-out occasions are unplanned or decided on impulse. At 53% of all dining occasions, the frequency of “eating on the fly” accounts for more than twice as many routine occasions (25%); special occasions account for just 22% of dining occasions.