CRFAs 2013 Canadian Chef Survey

HOT TRENDS
Top 10: Hot Trends
1. Locally produced food and locally inspired dishes

Hot Trends are the menu items and cooking methods that are at the peak of popularity. Customers are excited about these items and eating them more than ever.
Menu Trends
1. Locally inspired dishes 2. Inexpensive / underused cuts of meat (e.g. beef cheek, brisket, pork shoulder, skirt steak) 3. Healthy kids meals 4. Fewer choices on the menu 5. Specialty gourmet sandwiches

2. Gluten-free / food allergy conscious 3. Sustainability 4. Farm / estate-branded ingredients 5. Food trucks / street food 6. Ethnic / street food inspired appetizers (e.g. tempura, taquitos, etc.) 7. Greek yogurt 8. Simplicity / back to basics 9. Non-wheat noodles or pasta (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat) 10. Ancient grains (e.g. kamut, spelt, amaranth)

Seafood / Fish

Preparation Methods
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Slow cooking Smoking Braising Pickling Sous vide

1. Sustainable seafood 2. Locally caught seafood / sh 3. Non-traditional sh (e.g. branzino, arctic char, barramundi) 4. Underutilized sh (e.g. mackerel, bluesh, redsh) 5. Spot prawns

Produce

1. Locally grown produce 2. Organic produce 3. Superfruits (e.g. acai, goji berry, mangosteen) 4. Leafy greens (e.g. kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, dandelion, beet greens) 5. Micro-vegetables / micro greens

Sides

Culinary Themes

1. Gluten-free / food allergy conscious 2. Locavore 3. Environmental sustainability 4. Farm- / estate-branded ingredients 5. Food trucks

1. Non-wheat noodles or pasta (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat) 2. Ancient grains (e.g. kamut, spelt, amaranth) 3. Artisan / specialty bacon 4. Quinoa 5. Artisanal cheeses

Spices, Seasonings, Flavours

1. Greek yogurt 2. Marinades / rubs 3. Salt (e.g. avoured, smoked, regional) 4. Black garlic 5. Hot / spicy avours

Appetizers / Starters

Ethnic Cuisines and Flavours

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Ethnic fusion Middle Eastern Indian Korean Thai

1. Ethnic / street food inspired appetizers (e.g. tempura, taquitos, etc.) 2. Artisanal poutine 3. Charcuterie plates / samplers 4. Vegetable / vegetarian appetizers 5. Warm appetizer salads

Non-Alcoholic Beverages

1. Fair trade / organic coffee 2. Coconut water 3. Specialty iced tea (e.g. Thai-style, Southern / sweet, avoured) 4. Small batch sodas 5. Green tea

Alcoholic Beverages
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

White Meat

Desserts

Locally produced white meat Organic poultry Free-range poultry / pork Pork belly Chicken skin

Red Meat / Game

1. Bite-size / mini desserts 2. Sweet and salty desserts 3. Artisan / house-made ice creams 4. Dessert ights / combos / platters 5. Salted caramel

Locally produced wine and beer Craft beer / microbrews Micro-distilled / artisan liquor Regional signature cocktails Bar chef / mixologist

1. Locally produced red meat 2. Grass-fed beef 3. New / fabricated cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork at iron, bone-in Tuscan veal chop) 4. Aged cured meats (e.g. Prosciutto, Iberian ham, etc.) 5. Sausage (e.g. lap cheong, Chorizo, Andouille)

CRFAs 2013 Canadian Chef Survey

UP AND COMERS
Top 10: Up and Comers
1. Red rice

Up and Comers are the menu items that could be the next Hot Trend as interest in these items is quickly increasing.
Menu Trends Seafood / Fish Produce

2. Digital menus 3. Goat 4. House-made soft drinks 5. African 6. Gluten-free beer 7. Kid-friendly versions of adult dining options 8. Underutilized sh (e.g. mackerel, bluesh, redsh) 9. Drinkable desserts 10. Black / forbidden rice
1. Kid-friendly versions of adult dining options 2. Fewer choices on the menu 3. Healthy kids meals 4. Vegan entrees 5. Half portions / smaller portions for smaller price 1. Underutilized sh (e.g. mackerel, bluesh, redsh) 2. Non-traditional sh (e.g. branzino, arctic char) 3. Fish collars 4. Spot prawns 5. Sustainable seafood 1. Heirloom beans 2. Superfruits (e.g. acai, goji berry, mangosteen) 3. Heirloom apples 4. Agave 5. Hybrid fruit / vegetables (e.g. plumcot, grapple, broccoower)

Preparation Methods
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Cooking with tea Fermenting Liquid nitrogen chilling / freezing Slow cooking Pickling

Sides

Culinary Themes

Digital menus Childrens nutrition Communal dining Izakaya / noodle bar / Japanese pub food 5. Five ingredients or less

1. Red rice 2. Black / forbidden rice 3. Ethnic cheeses (e.g. hallumi, paneer, queso fresco) 4. Vegetable Ceviche 5. Non-wheat noodles or pasta (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat)

Spices, Seasonings, Flavours

1. 2. 3. 4. Black garlic Sumac Alcohol infused BBQ avours Vinegar / avoured vinegar / house-made vinegar 5. Leaves (e.g. kafr lime leaves, banana, toro)

Appetizers / Starters

Ethnic Cuisines and Flavours

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. African Brazilian Cuban Filipino Peruvian

1. Warm appetizer salads 2. Game bird appetizers (e.g. duck, quail) 3. Vegetable / vegetarian appetizers 4. Flatbread appetizers 5. Artisanal poutine

Non-Alcoholic Beverages
1. 2. 3. 4.

House-made soft drinks Small batch sodas Dairy free milk Specialty iced tea (e.g. Thai-style, Southern / sweet, avoured) 5. Agua fresca

Desserts

White Meat

Pork face Pork tongue Dark meat chicken / turkey Chicken skin Organic poultry

1. Drinkable desserts 2. Desserts made from vegetables 3. Savoury ice cream 4. Traditional ethnic desserts (e.g. delimanjoo, an, qatayef) 5. Artisan / house-made ice cream

Alcoholic Beverages
1. 2. 3. 4.

Gluten-free beer Micro-distilled / artisan liquor Beer-based cocktails Culinary cocktails (e.g. savoury, customized to specic dishes) 5. Specialty beer (e.g. seasonal, fruit avoured)

Red Meat / Game

1. Goat 2. New / fabricated cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork at iron, bone-in Tuscan veal chop) 3. Organ meats / offal meats 4. Skin (e.g. pig, lamb) 5. Grass-fed beef

CRFAs 2013 Canadian Chef Survey

PERENNIAL FAVOURITES / YESTERDAYS NEWS
Perennial Favourites are the menu items that are always popular and are long-time menu favourites. Yesterdays News are the menu items that have declined in popularity as customers are less interested in these items now.
Top 10: Yesterdays News
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Cupcakes Molecular gastronomy Hybrid fruit / vegetables Donuts Pt Liquid nitrogen chilling / freezing Breads with dips / spreads Flatbread appetizers Passion fruit Raw foods

Top 10: Perennial Favourites

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Carrots Fresh herbs Wine Seafood appetizers Maple syrup Rotisserie Honey Oysters Braising Avocado

CRFAs Canadian Chef Survey is based on responses from more than 350 professional chefs. It was conducted by independent market research rm BrandSpark International in January, 2013. Chefs were asked to rate the popularity of a variety of menu items and cooking methods, indentifying hot trends, up-and-comers, perennial favourites and yesterdays news. Special thanks to the Canadian Culinary Federation for their participation in the survey. The goal of the Canadian Culinary Federation is to unite chefs and cooks across Canada in a common dedication to professional excellence. For more information, contact www.ccfcc.ca. The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) is one of the largest business associations in Canada. Since its founding in 1944, CRFA has grown to represent restaurants, bars, cafeterias and social and contract caterers, as well as accommodation, entertainment and institutional foodservice. For more information, contact www.crfa.ca. BrandSpark International is a market research and brand strategy rm with expertise in the restaurant industry. For more information, contact www.brandspark.ca.