Each flavor celebrates citrus in a refreshing and delightful way and comes in an array of profiles including Lemon Pepper Caesar, Grapefruit Poppy Seed, Spicy Mango Habanero, Mimosa, Blueberry Chipotle, Mandarin Fig, Orange Sesame Ginger and Pomegranate Lime

Leading innovation agency Sterling-Rice Group named Daniel Carpenter to the newly-created position of managing director – culinary at the fast-growing agency. Carpenter is joining SRG from Nextbite, a national virtual kitchen company where he served as vice president – culinary. 

Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations (CBCI) has relocated within Chicago and officially opened its new purpose-built kitchen and lab. Located on Goose Island, just minutes outside downtown Chicago, the new CBCI headquarters is designed and equipped specifically for food and beverage product development.

In a recent report published by market research firm Packaged Facts, “Dairy & Egg Alternatives: Outlook for Plant-Based & Cell-Cultured Consumer Products,” it was forecast that sales of plant-based dairy and egg products will continue to rise at an average annual rate of 6.0%, reaching $5.2 billion by 2024.

Motif FoodWorks, the Boston-based food technology company making plant-based foods better tasting and more nutritious, announced César Vega has joined the company as vice president of food design.

Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I love surprises—especially when they are of the culinary sort. When Prepared Foods asked me to write about future food trends, it led me to think about all the change our food and beverage industry has endured during the past few years. I also am thinking how we’ve adapted so quickly, and with such extraordinary ingenuity. I started to reflect on what surprised me the most and what sort of change we can expect in the future.

For centuries, cooks have artfully cross-pollinated cultural elements of flavor, and now culinologists are combining Latin and Asian ingredients and cooking techniques to launch innovative and flavorful prepared foods. Today’s retail shelves display a world atlas of culturally inspired experiences that might not be authentic yet answer the consumers’ desires to nourish themselves with fresh new takes on flavorful foods that simply taste good.

Students find themselves in culinary school having come from many different backgrounds and having traveled down many paths. Some are cooks that are ready to move into a more challenging role in the kitchen; others want to learn new skills in baking by becoming a pastry chef; and others are building on years of cooking experience, having had no formal training. I found my way to Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School by way of music. 

As consumers continue to use off-premises options in all dayparts, restaurants are looking to translate their dine-in experience outside the four walls of the restaurant with thoughtful packaging that maintains food quality, retains temperature, and is tamper-proof.