If there’s one thing I have learned throughout my many years in the industry, it’s that dynamism is the key concept around which everything revolves. Every now and then, chefs, restaurateurs, and foodies always look at food trends for their businesses as a gauge on what to do and what not to do. For the year that was, here’s my own observation. There is no such thing as stability. No stagnation. Comparable to fashion, we may rotate, discard or even revolutionize fading trends. So, in order to remain afloat and avoid drowning in the influx of all these new diets and lifestyle fads, I will place myself in the shoes of a researcher. I may sometimes participate in what I am studying or I may simply observe from afar. 1.) Mindful Eating - The saying that “health is wealth” has never been more true. Today, everyone is concerned about their well-being - in all the senses. Physical, mental, emotional, psychological and even spiritual. We’ve got diet trends like paleo and ketosis. Pop-ups of small salad shops are multiplying faster than I can count them. It’s all about substitution; from all-wheat to gluten-free, refined sugar to stevia or coconut sugar; from low carb to high protein diets to calorie-counting. And the list goes on! Anything and everything that’s about health and wellness will continue to stay. By this I mean, the dominance of the .... 2. ) Diet delivery service and consumer delivery services - Because health span is more important than life span, in 2017, an entire market was opened for this kind of service and it’s here to stay. Price ranges are high but people are willing to invest more on their health. From breakfast, lunch and dinner, you can have a low carb, high calorie combination or a high protein, low carb diet. Whatever the client wants, the client gets. It’s also all about customization. And speaking of customization, it became more in demand for households who have less help or have no time to cook. Made to order dishes for a week has been a trend. As long as it’s homemade, fresh and convenient, it’s here to stay. People are exploring, are wiser and are looking for alternative ways to care for themselves. It’s a given that we have stresses in life, so pampering yourself is one way of eliminating the unnecessary. When going to the grocery used to be a walk in the park, but because of the brutal traffic nowadays, it’s not even worth travelling just to buy a couple of food items in your pantry. Thus, the rise of grocery services has begun. And I believe this is a really smart move again, especially for households who are under-manned. 3.) The rise of a more personal dining experience has also become popular. People are eating less in restos and exploring more private dining or personal cheffing services. Sometimes, the younger generations are even bolder by cooking their own meals. It’s the older generation that still patronizes the local resto industry. Also, it’s those dessert bars, fancy and innovative dishes that entice the young generation. As long as it’s instagrammable, it’s a good selling factor. Finally, Filipino food is here and getting more fierce. Chefs love to reinvent and add more twists to local favorites. It’s a welcome treat to the Filipino market. 2018 is definitely going to be an exciting year. Let’s keep our eyes open for existing or more trends to come.
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AuthorIm Chef Peach and it's obvious that I love food. In fact, I love food so much that I decided to make it my profession. You know what's ironic, I was a Finance graduate! Archives
January 2021
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