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SOUTHERN CHEFS AND MIXOLOGISTS REVEAL THE HOT TRENDS FOR 2016
Predictions include carbon footprint-conscious ingredients, quirky
proteins, an oyster explosion and the return of the Tiki bar
ATLANTA (Nov. 16, 2015) - With
2016 upon us, food aficionados are already salivating over what trends are on
the horizon for diners in the new year. We asked some of the South’s best chefs
and mixologists to peer into their sauté pans and mixing tins to predict the next
dining and cocktail trends. Will kale finally be obliterated from all menus?
Will microscopic $35 entrees become passé? Read on!
Taste buds will be tantalized
with a few new and different ingredients in 2016, predicts Southern
Gentleman and Gypsy
Kitchen chef Matthew Ridgway. “I’m
going to be using more Middle Eastern spices - black garlic, black lime, black
cardamom, white cardamom, Aleppo pepper and wolf berries - for spice-forward
cooking.”
Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails
chef Tom Gray in Jacksonville, Florida, says to expect a few new and
interesting proteins and grains to land on plates as well. “Alternative forms
of protein such as chicken livers, pig ears and flank steak, along with
alternative grains with an emphasis on whole and ancient varieties, will be
popping up on menus,” he predicts.
Atlanta’s Ray’s
Restaurants consultant Chad Crete thinks
kale will need to start sharing the spotlight in 2016 as diners continue
healthier eating habits. “Vegetables will become highlights on all menus,” says
Crete. “It won't be just sides and that one lonely vegetarian option; they’re
going to be everywhere. Customers will continue to put a big emphasis on
knowing where their food comes from as well, seeking local produce, sustainable
fish and free-range hormone- and antibiotic-free meats.”
Moxie’s Gray also sees a
focus on sourcing in the new year. “More
guests are excited to learn where ingredients come from, how they are handled
and what the backstory is on dishes,” Gray explains. “More urban farming
businesses like GYO Greens will flourish; small companies that are producing
great intown products with a very small carbon footprint.”
Doug Turbush of Seed Kitchen
& Bar, Stem Wine Bar and Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar sees a deliciously briny future for oyster lovers.
“Oysters will explode,” Turbush says. “The renaissance and rituals of oyster
eating will thrive with increasing interest in oyster terroir, growing methods
and the nuances that produce oyster varieties.”
And Turbush predicts we can forget
all that cloying cocktail sauce and horseradish. “My hope is naked oysters goes
along with this trend so the distinct flavors from each region can be
appreciated,” he says.
One trend Bantam +
Biddy and Chick-a-Biddy chef Lance Gummere hopes to see fade from menus is
pricy plates of artfully arranged food with microscopic portions. “Hopefully
we’ll see more customer outrage regarding the absurdity of $35 plates
consisting of two small bites of food and a few dots of pureed vegetable
garnished with a micro green,” Gummere says. “If you’re like me, you like to
share your food when you go out to dinner. But in order to share it, you’re got
to be able to identify it on your plate! We need to start feeding folks again.”
Along those same lines,
Ridgway sees our love affair with Southern cooking continuing to deepen in the
new year. “Everyone needed homier items to wrap their arms around over the past
few years,” he says. “But now I believe we’ll see a move to dishes that rely on
Southern pathways and local farmers to achieve more refined dishes using
specific heirloom varieties of produce, beans and grains.”
Bellina Alimentari creative director Alice Fabi sees sustainability as a critical
priority in 2016. “We’re learning more and more about how to use and preserve
what our land has to offer in creative ways that follow an ethical, natural and
sustainable philosophy,” says Fabi. “There will be a widespread need to go to
the essence of food and find prime ingredients.”
Chef, restaurant owner,
speaker and cookbook author Kevin Gillespie of Red
Beard Restaurants sees an uptick in
consumer demand for faster, healthier options in 2016. “It’s going to be a
re-do of fast food with a healthy focus,” he explains. “I’m not talking about
salad bars but healthful, lighter cuisine at fast food speed.”
That coincides with what
Crete of Ray's Restaurants is seeing. “Fast casual will continue to be a
growing segment in our industry,” Crete explains. “Millennials 18-35 will soon
become the biggest demographic in our country. They want chef-driven and local
ingredients delivered quickly and at a price point that will allow for
increased visits.”
There’s good news for
cocktail connoisseurs in 2016 as bartenders borrow more flavor profiles from
the kitchen, according to Johnny’s Hideaway bartender Shawn McCoy in Atlanta. “More and more, bartenders will be
utilizing what’s available in their kitchens - freshly squeezed juices, herbs,
spices and ingredients like chipotle and balsamic vinegar - to bring out the
flavors of the cocktail.”
McCoy also wants better ice
options for mixologists. “Right now there are the standard ice machines and
hand-carved ice programs. There needs to be something in the middle for
high-volume bars so they can provide quality ice for drinks.”
According to Milton’s Cuisine
& Cocktails and The Big Ketch
Roswell chef Derek Dollar, food
sensitivities are now part of the future, and we need to plan accordingly. “The
gluten-free craze will continue to increase,” he says.
Finally, all this forward thinking
is fine, but Gillespie would like to see one retro bar trend boomerang back
around in 2016. “I’d love to see a renaissance of the Tiki craze,” says
Gillespie. “We need more bars like Trader Vic’s!”
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