Retailers continue to expand prepared food offerings while gaining ground on restaurants.

Consumers taking part in a recent survey conducted by Chicago-based trend-tracker Technomic say they are sourcing prepared meals from a wider range of retail foodservice operations than they were two years ago, many times at the expense of restaurants. Traditional supermarkets, convenience stores and mass merchandisers have been able to grow their share of the food-away-from-home market as they expand their foodservice platforms and build upon consumer desire for convenience, quality and variety of offerings in retail locations.

Chefs desire global cuisines, whole grains, versatility and U.S.-grown.

According to proprietary research conducted by the Arlington, Va.-based USA Rice Federation among 500 chefs and operators, U.S.-grown rice usage continues to trend upwards on menus because of growing demand for ethnic cuisines, increased appeal of whole grains, rice’s versatility and chef/operators’ support of America’s farmers and the economy. Nearly 90% of chefs and operators report that they currently menu rice, and more than half say their usage of rice will increase in the coming year.

By Brent T. Frei

Snack orders—either as a fourth meal of the day or replacing one of the three squares—are increasing in foodservice.

Perhaps more than any other campaign by a foodservice entity, Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Louisville, Ky.-based YUM! Brands with 5,600 stores nationwide, in 2006 gave Americans permission to indulge in a fourth meal each day without guilt with its “fourthmeal” campaign. The concept also raised consciousness of what we’re eating at each meal. While breakfast all day was last year’s trend, this year, snacking is literally meal-replacement, according to The Food Channel in conjunction with CultureWaves®, the International Food Futurists and Mintel International.

By Birch DeVault, M.Ed.

Though baking comes with its own rigors and rules, learning international breads expands students’ repertoire and deepens the learning experience.

Baking and pastry, for many culinary students, can be either an exciting challenge or a daunting endeavor. In many ways, the very cognitive underpinning of baking and pastry arts is completely different from that of culinary arts. Working baking and pastry recipes into culinary classrooms can ease some trepidation students have toward the discipline.

Courtesy of The Mushroom Council

Mushrooms are the hidden treasure of healthy Hispanic dishes.

Mushrooms are an authentic part of Mexican and other Hispanic cuisines. Meatless options are not just a niche target anymore. More and more diners, no matter what cuisine they are enjoying, are turning toward healthier options. Because of the meatiness and umami of mushrooms, they can help make a meatless dish more satisfying as well as combine with meat or seafood to reduce costs, calories and fat and increase craveability.

From Tex-Mex to Hot-Mex to Healthy Mex
So, how do you make Mexican food healthy? One of the best ways is to use a food that has been an important, integral, authentic part of Mexican heritage since the pre-Spanish days: mushrooms. According to Spanish chronicles, the Aztecs used mushrooms for their meaty texture and versatility and because they were ideal for stews, tamale and taco fillings, moles and other traditional foods. In Mexico, portobellos, cremini, oysters and white buttons are traditions in the states of Mexico, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Sierra de Oaxaca, Chiapas and Veracruz.