Specialty Food Association: Top Trends at Fancy Food Show

July 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The Specialty Food Association announced its take on the top trends from this summer’s Fancy Food Show, the association’s major semiannual industry trade show.  The top five new trends were:

  1. Innovative frozen treats, from smoothie pops to tea- and coffee-based popsicles.
  2. New uses of grains and seeds, including a quinoa sesame milk chocolate bar from Seattle Chocolate Co. and sweet potato, quinoa, and kale ravioli from La Pasta, Inc.
  3. Global meal starters and sauces incorporating flavors from Thailand to Greece to Africa.
  4. Retro redone, with new twists on retro favorites from banana pudding pancakes to classic southern cheese crisps.
  5. Cocktail ingredients for the at-home mixologist, ranging from tea-based mixers to artisanal bitters.

Continuing trends included single-serve snacks, Vietnamese flavors, chickpea and seaweed snacks, maple products, sweet and savory cookies, coconut, salted caramel, and gluten-free products.

For the full story, click here.

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Fast-Casual Build-Your-Own Pizza Segment Heating Up

July 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Fast-casual pizza concepts are growing, both in terms of sales and number of enterprises, according to the latest report from Restaurant Hospitality.  Fast-casual pizza has grown to a $31 billion segment in the last 20 years.  Adding in casual dining Italian enterprises, the pizza market balloons to a $50 billion industry.

Inspired by the rise of fast-casual giant Chipotle, build-your-own pizza enterprises in the fast-casual segment are positioning themselves as artisanal, high-quality brands where guests are in control of their own experience.  Even major chains are recognizing the trend and offering more high-quality specialty toppings.

Many of the big players in the pizza market, such as Sbarro, are also entering the build-your-own space alongside independents, making the pizza landscape highly competitive for the foreseeable future.

For a full roundup of the space’s key players and an in-depth assessment of the trend, click here.

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Alain Ducasse Expands Artisanal Chocolate Production

July 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Famed French chef Alain Ducasse plans to expand his Paris-based chocolate line, adding another store at the Galeries Lafayette on July 15.  He also plans to sell the chocolates online, and at his restaurants the Dorchester (London), Plaza Athenee (Paris), and Le Louis XV (Monaco).

Ducasse said he has encountered some challenges in setting up production, noting that he is only the fifth chocolate maker in France to make his own chocolate, and the first in Paris. “‘The challenge was to find the craft machines that don’t really exist anymore. It’s a different job and art to make these machines compared with the modern ones. I’m a million times smaller than Cadbury, for example,'” said Ducasse.

Ducasse has always had a passion for chocolate, having worked under renowned pastry chef Gaston Lenotre.  In fact, he noted he almost became a chocolatier early his career, rather than a chef.  He now works with chocolate maker Nicolas Berger to create a variety of chocolates and confections, from ganaches, pralines, and truffles to single-origin bars.

For the full story on Ducasse and his latest venture, click here.

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