Comfort Food Going Homestyle and Gourmet- Food Trends 2011

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Comfort food, just the sound of these words will make you feel all warm and fuzzy, pleased and satiated, guilty and even guiltier. That is, if the comfort foods that you are thinking of are made of fatty, buttery, salty, and sweet-laden comfort foods.

However, this is not the type of comfort food that I have in mind for the 2011 food trend prediction as I went over the recent food crazes last year. In fact, the comfort food that I think is going to be the trend this coming year is going homestyle, especially homestyle Southern comfort food.

The New Comfort Food

If there is one thing that you will notice about the food trends this 2011 is that the trends are catering to customers who are tightening their belts due to the recession. There are the mini plates which are fast becoming very popular right now; the everyday low price menus which is what most customers are looking for; the food trucks that offer delicious meals at a whole lot cheaper prices; and the fast-casual brand extensions by some of the biggest restaurant names in the food industry to cater to the customers’ need for convenient, fast, healthy, and cheap foods. Right now, the need to go cheap can also be seen in comfort foods.

As stated above, my prediction for the 2011 food trends include the “back to our roots” concept in comfort food, especially that of the southern homestyle comfort foods. You can expect to see more grits in the menus or crab cakes. You can also expect to see more of po-boys and gumbos entering the whole nation’s culinary scene. Of course, there will be the ever-famous jambalayas and other types of seafood dishes, too. Aside from Southern-style comfort food, the trend will also shift towards retro-Italian cuisine as the “back to our roots” concept in comfort food continues, so you can be sure to see more pizzas, pastas, and the ever-present meatballs.

Popsicles for dessert and gourmet-style donuts for breakfast? Why not? You will most certainly see them come the year 2011 as more and more consumers crave for the comfort foods that they grew up with. They would also want to entertain friends at home, instead of eating at restaurants which could be quite expensive. Because of this, we are also sure to see the comeback of Southern-style party food recipes like barbecues with all its trimmings.

Why the New Trend in Comfort Food?

One reason why we are going to see more of the Southern-homestyle comfort food is that there will be an aggressive campaign to promote southern seafood cuisine, especially in light of the massive oil spill in the New Mexico Gulf. It cannot be denied that this greatly affected the economy of areas like New Orleans as well as Louisiana as consumers hesitated to purchase and consume seafood caught in their coasts. To combat the losses incurred, an aggressive promotion of Creole cuisine as well as Cajun cuisine will be launched. If this does not work, Southern cuisine will still be aggressively promoted in the Northern American regions where its seafood is considered to be very safe for consumption.

Another reason is that people are becoming far more wiser nowadays when it comes to spending money and choosing the types of food that they eat. Thus, there will be the new trend of cooking comfort foods at home and entertaining friends and families at home rather than paying for it at restaurants. Not only will the cost be cheaper, but there will be more servings.

Lastly, there is increased awareness for healthy and more satisfying types of food.

Chefs and Comfort Food

There are a lot of things that chefs can do to follow the trend. For one, you can brush up on your knowledge of Southern cuisine, especially the comfort food types. Not only are you going to capitalize on the new trend, but you are also offering them healthier choices when it comes to the foods they eat. You can take your inspiration from restaurant chains that specialize in Southern cuisine and go from there. Of course, you have to create something that is uniquely yours and give it your own twist.

Since consumers will want bigger and cheaper comfort foods, then why not follow a family-style format when it comes to the portions? This way, you are going to attract big parties of consumers with your family-size portions.

The most important thing though if you are going to go with the new comfort food trend is to make sure that you, as a chef, are making the right choices when it comes to the ingredients. Make sure that they are fresh and healthy.

Image Credit: dailytiffin.blogspot.com

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Posted on Friday, February 4, 2011 at 5:52 am
Filed under FnB Bits n’ Pieces, FnB Buzz · Tagged with comfort food, comfort foods, foods, gourmet foods, homestyle foods

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World Spinner says:

February 4, 2011 at 10:17 am

Comfort Food Going Homestyle and Gourmet- Food Trends 2011…

Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……