{"id":22819,"date":"2023-01-20T09:53:36","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T15:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gfs.com\/?p=22819"},"modified":"2026-02-12T12:06:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:06:24","slug":"2023-culinary-trends-outlook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.com\/en-us\/ideas\/2023-culinary-trends-outlook\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 Culinary Trend Outlook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new year means new possibilities for restaurant menus.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s new? What\u2019s next? Chefs and restaurant operators often ask, so we put the question to our experts: What\u2019s on the horizon for 2023 culinary trends?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Gordon Food Service\u00ae<\/sup> Culinary Specialists weighed in on what operators can expect in the year ahead. They noted some common threads, starting with a reminder that customers want new flavor experiences and are always willing to pay for good food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOperators really need to know their customer base and appeal to them, but they also have to be looking at how to attract the next generation of diners,\u201d said Houston\u2019s Erin Copeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four insights for 2023<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Veg-centric sensations.<\/strong> People are pausing on plant-based foods and rediscovering vegetables as a center-of-the-plate option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not limited to vegetarian or vegan, veg-centric can include meat protein in small amounts. The appeal is the flavor notes imparted by aggressive cooking techniques \u2013 char-grilling, broiling, smoking, fire-roasting, etc. \u2013 and seasonings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI go into restaurants locally that have whole pages of veg-centric choices, with fun plays on dishes that would normally contain meat,\u201d Derek Seigfried said of the Boston area. \u201cThe meat is removed and eggplant is put in its place, or mushrooms are done five different ways to replicate meat. Veg-centric isn\u2019t going anywhere with prices inflating in the beef and seafood market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Mushroom umami.<\/strong> Earthy mushrooms have chefs looking beyond portobello burgers and button mushrooms on salads and pizza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTake oyster mushrooms and coat them in a tempura batter and give them a flash fry as an appetizer served with a gochujang aioli,\u201d suggests Kevin Green, from the Detroit area. \u201cTake it up a notch and dust it with a Trade East\u00ae<\/sup> rub.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enoki, oyster, shiitake, black trumpet and hen of the woods mushrooms all add umami to the menu, plus they absorb flavors to varying degrees while adding color to the plate. Green says mushrooms work for all dayparts, including lion\u2019s mane powder in beverages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. New mashups.<\/strong> The culinary melting pot continues as people sample unfamiliar cuisines and find similarities. Consider Mediterranean influences on familiar foods. Tomato-based Italian bruschetta becomes Turkish ezme. Traditional pizza becomes a cheese- and egg-filled Georgian bread boat. And it doesn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn our Los Angeles trends tour, we saw a lot of Nikkei cuisine [Japanese-Peruvian fusion], and there are a lot of Japanese and Asian influences we\u2019re seeing,\u201d Seigfried said. \u201cAt Magari in L.A., there was pasta with crab, lemon poppy and yuzu cream sauce. So simple, yet so refined.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Copeland\u2019s favorites mixes gochujang sauce and peanut butter for a dipping sauce perfect for anything from wings to pot stickers.
4. Sous vide and pre-cooked proteins.<\/strong> Staffing remains a challenge, so operators are looking at cooked, ready-to-heat options to save labor and time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSous vide pork belly and chicken are time-savers, and our 25 to 30 plus-one proteins have great flavor profiles with little labor and no waste,\u201d Green said. \u201cChicken carnitas and barbacoa can be used in a sandwich, taco or an upscale omelet. They\u2019re great for cross-utilization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other expectations for 2023<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Operators will be looking to solve other menu and back-of-house labor challenges in the year ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chefs are taking a closer look at pickling and fermenting to stretch the menu. Vinegar-brined veggies and the sharpness of fermented kimchi can elevate menu mainstays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newfangled charcuterie-style boards offer a high-margin opportunity as a meal or a shareable. Think of them as an Instagrammable version of the grazing table: cream cheese boards, pickle boards, seafood boards, veggie boards and even butter boards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staffing challenges also are forcing changes on the culinary side. In addition to the use of labor-saving sous vide and pre-cooked proteins, operators are seeking to increase efficiency and allow chefs to focus on creativity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRestaurants really need to get the most out of cross-utilization,\u201d Seigfried said. \u201cIf you have tomatoes, it\u2019s time to spread that ingredient to 10 different things on the menu and worry more about executing fewer recipes in better ways.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s new? What\u2019s next? Chefs and restaurant operators often ask, so we put the question to our experts: What\u2019s on the horizon for 2023 culinary trends?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":22822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[132,68,131,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-culinary-ideas","category-hotels-hospitality","category-restaurant-bars"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n2023 Culinary Trend Outlook | Gordon Food Service<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stay ahead of the curve with the 2023 culinary trends outlook. 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