Among many professional-development events held last year, the sum of different voices, perspectives and expertise areas was the most valuable take-away.

By Mary Petersen

I was privileged to attend several professional events in 2013 including annual conferences for the American Culinary Federation, the Research Chefs Association, Chefs Collaborative, the American Council for Technical Education the International Foodservice Editorial Council; and the National Restaurant Association, in addition to three CAFÉ events: the first postsecondary Deans and Directors Retreat, the 9^th-annual CAFÉ Leadership Conference and The Science of Baking Workshop.

These events focused on present challenges and offered numerous ideas for coping with the future. I thought I would share (in no particular order) some relevant (to me and perhaps to you) highlights:

A roundup of predictions for this year from the most respected sources.

Courtesy of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts

Consumers didn’t increase their visits to restaurants in 2013, but when they did visit they spent more. Indeed, consumer spending was up 2% over a year ago, driven by growth in average check size. What does 2014 look like in terms of foodservice patronage? Where will Americans eat, and what and how will they choose to eat when they dine out?

The Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Chicago keeps its finger on the pulse of menu and dining-out trends, and for 2014 consulted three leading global information companies—plus the National Restaurant Association’s annual What’s Hot culinary forecast that surveyed nearly 1,300 members of the American Culinary Federation—to compile the biggest predictions for the foodservice industry in 2014.

Fast Casual Grows Fast
If last year was a struggle for full-service restaurants, casual dining and midscale/family dining, the fast-casual segment continued its growth trend in 2013, with traffic up 8% in the year ending September 2013 compared to same period a year before, according to The NPD Group. Says Mintel, new fast-casual concepts focusing on customization, quick service and convenience are gaining customers who are willing to pay more for better quality and healthier foods. Better-burger chains, health-focused concepts and made-to-order pizza restaurants are on the rise.

This special-edition flavor forecast commemorates McCormick’s 125th anniversary with predictions for such trending flavors as chamoy sauce, cassava flour and tea.

Hunt Valley, Md.-based McCormick & Company, Inc., a global leader in flavor, unveils its McCormick® Flavor Forecast® 2014: 125th Anniversary Edition.

The report, developed annually by McCormick experts around the world —including culinary professionals, trend trackers and food technologists—highlights five top food trends and more than a dozen emerging flavors that will inspire creative and delicious menu innovations for years to come. First launched in 2000, this Anniversary Edition explores how today’s unparalleled connectivity is driving faster-than-ever adoption of new trends and tastes around the globe.

“Today’s expectation when dining out is about exceptional taste experiences, so this Anniversary Edition can be an inspiration point for foodservice professionals,” says Megan Ford, vice president of sales  and marketing, US Industrial Group, McCormick & Company.

Most every restaurant will offer soup, but not every “restoring shop” will have a uniquely delicious apple soup. Says this expert, they should.

By Wendy Brannen

Did you know that restaurants and soup are synonymous? According to my favorite modern source—Wikipedia—the word restaurant, or “something restoring,” was first used in France in the 16th century to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup sold by street vendors and purported to be an antidote to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in these soups, which prompted the use of the modern word restaurant.

Their histories intertwined, it seems no mistake that one is hard pressed to find a decent restaurant that does not serve soup in some form—piping hot or chilled, clear bouillon or thick bisque, vegan or loaded with savory chunks of meat. The preparation and serving choices are as diverse as, well, alphabet soup, as are the regional varieties of this comforting staple, which range from “she-crab” in the Carolina Low Country to something called “snert” served with a sausage over in the Netherlands.

So, if you are a chef seeking your own twist on a signature soup, where do you start? Might I suggest at the beginning of that alphabet soup of options? And, “A is for apple,” after all!

Videos by Ted Russin are included in a free course with 80,000 students worldwide.

Some of the biggest names in culinary science—José Andrés, Ferran Adrià, Nathan Myhrvold and Harold McGee—were joined by Ted Russin of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in teaching the Harvard University massive open online course (MOOC) “Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science” last fall. More than 80,000 people around the world took the free class.

Russin developed and taped several video clips with Chef Wylie Dufresne to be used in the course curriculum. The videos show both basic and advanced applications of enzymes in the kitchen while highlighting the collaboration between chef and scientist in cooking. Students registered in Harvard’s MOOC initiative, called edX, watched the videos before taking quizzes and completing assignments about the subject material. They worked at their own pace and earned a certificate from Harvard by successfully mastering the course work.