The Food Trends Everyone Will Be Eating Up in 2019

What’s hot (and not) for 2019 according to Chef Lisa Dupar

I EXPECT MIXOLOGISTS TO “RAISE THE BAR” IN 2019:

– Fun Custom Slushies: Thai Basil-Lime, Aperol Spritz, Cold Fashioned, Peach Julep, Hey Froze

– Zero-Proof Cocktails: A Bloody Shame, Mule Hound, Fuzzless Navel, Black Julep n’ Cream, Faux 75

– Exploring Culture through Spirits: Baijiu cocktails or shots – Saskatoon Berry Soju Shrub, anyone?

– CBD Oil (from hemp) infused drinks

HERE’S WHAT I EXPECT WE’LL SEE IN FOOD:

– Anything interactive that connects people together at an event. Events built around learning a culinary craft: chocolate making, pie baking, butchering techniques, knife-sharpening techniques, fermentation class, mushroom foraging, or barista “school” classes

– Hyper-local/seasonal eating – thanks to front runners like Noma, Faviken, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns

– Honoring Native American indigenous people and their culinary traditions

– Foraged, fermented, and super foods weaving into mainstream menus

– Using imperfect produce and “not as popular” cuts of meat (such as offal, trotters, pig’s ears and beef tongue)

– A focus on food as medicine: vegan, raw, plant and nut proteins, creative non-dairy, all plant milks and creams, etc.

Flavor and cuisine-wise, I believe North African, Indonesian, Peruvian and Israeli dishes will be popular…all with our American-twists infused into these dishes.

As far as rethinking or elevating food presentation, I think the cleaner, the simpler, the better. Too many flavor-combos, touches and garnishes, too fussed over = too much. It’s much harder to execute something clean and simple and have it blow your mind, than bury a dish in sauces and garnishes. Small bites, for example, where you can appreciate the flavor of a spring morel, without stronger, bold flavors masking the delicate mushroom.

HERE’S WHAT’S NOT GOING TO BE POPULAR IN 2019:

– Foams

– Foods labeled “crack” or “sexy”

– “Sustainable” – the word is “green washed” and now that McDonalds is talking about being “sustainable,” people will no longer take the word seriously or pay attention to it