A Roundup of 2009 Food Trends

Comfort food is at the top of the biggest food trend this year, eaten mainly at home, since our discretionary restaurant dollars are sliming down. We saw that coming. Still, there are plenty of surprises.
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Molecular Gastronomy: Forward-Thinking Food
Stephanie Ortenzi

WFIM got a taste, literally, of the decade’s biggest and most influential trend in cuisine today: molecular gastronomy.

The Sweet Science of Molecular Chocolate

Two pastry chefs create chocolate lab for UBC academics.

A Warm Welcome to New Members

Welcome to a great experience and prosperous new relationships.

more

Speak Up and Express Yourself
by Women in Food

What’s the best professional advice you’ve ever had? What’s the professional issue you’d most like advice on? Write your story, ask your questions, make your case, let your voice be heard.
more

Pistachio Newswire

All the news that's fits to eat.

Editorial
By Stephanie Ortenzi

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Meet TED
Letters to the Editor.

Words to the Wise

Sage Widsom from Donna Messer

Hottie foodie blog of the month

SpicySaltySweet

And one more thing
How are leeks addictive?

NEW

Audio of Past Events Courtesy of
Judith Kirkness of Minotaur Software

Editor: Stephanie Ortenzi, Pistachio

A ROUNDUP OF RUMINATIONS ABOUT 2009 FOOD TRENDS

Comfort food is at the top of the biggest food trend this year, eaten mainly at home, since our discretionary restaurant dollars are sliming down. We saw that coming. Still, there are plenty of surprises.

Here are seven reliable news sources for their report on what’s going to be hot in 2009. [See you in January, 2010, for a look at who got it right and who didn’t].

Canada.com
Custom foods, alternative sweeteners, food safety, recession diets, “food nanny state.” More…

CBS Video
AntIoxidant flowers, Stevia, reduced resto portions. More…

Forbes.com
Premium products, steady commodity pricing, double digit organics growth. More…

Houston Chronicle
Simple home cooking, Asian noodles, Peruvian influences, certified fish, ginger, garam masala, maple syrup. More…

Palm Beach Gourmet
Restos go retail, frozen ethnic, tea, antioxidants, taza chocolate, raw agave gelato, plus what’s off the hot list. More…

Foodprocess.com
Influential Market Researcher Mintel publishes its findings. More…

BonAppetit’s Top Picks
Luxury for less, breakfast restos, ricotta, “new” southern cuisine, eggs with everything. More…

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MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY: FORWARD-THINKING FOOD
By Stephanie Ortenzi

As an ambassador of molecular gastronomy John Placko’s demonstration and tasting samples held the sold-out WFIM crowd enthralled at the February 18th event. The new science-inspired techniques provided wonderful information and insight about new ways to cook, present and eat food.

Placko brought colleagues Wing Yee Fung from Campbell’s R&D, and Hector Szulansky, who provided some of the ingredients for the evening. Szulansky is the Canadian representative for the world’s leader in molecular cuisine, Ferran Adria of Spain.

Before joining Campbell’s as Development Chef, Placko was Prime Restaurant’s Director of Culinary Development and Executive Chef, and before that, Product Development Manager and Executive Chef of Cara Operations Ltd.

Kudos to Carol Finlan who brought Placko to WFIM. “I saw him at a workshop and thought, ‘I’ve got to get this guy to present to us,’” said Finlan. Nice work.

You can get a copy of the gorgeous, heavily illustrated book about Ferran Adria -- “A Day at El Bulli”-- which Finlan enthusiastically recommends, here.

Ferran Adria in his kitchen at El Bulli in Spain.

Placko’s Slide Show (pdf)

Placko in Food In Canada article on Research-Based Cuisine

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THE SWEET SCIENCE OF MOLECULAR CHOCOLATE
By Stephanie Ortenzi

From my own portfolio comes a piece about Canada’s leading molecular chocolatiers, published in Foodservice & Hospitality. Cindy and Dominique Duby of Wild Sweets in Richmond, B.C., are a husband-and-wife team with a pastry background, and who work with UBC’s Faculty of Food Science. Their chocolate dessert kits for special molecular effects at home are available online.

Sweet Science (pdf)

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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Welcome to a feast of professional connecting, developing and supporting.

Norela Avila
Food Processing Engineer
Freelance

Leigh Bailey

Strategic Account Manager

WILD Flavors (Canada)

Kathy Boyce

Senior Trade Specialist

Faye Clack Communications

Palma Carusi

Sales Manager

Transpro Freight Systems

Michelle Cheddie

Technical Sales

L.V. Lomas

Andrea Crowley

President

Product Dzine

Danielle D'Agostino

Vice President

Faye Clack Communications

Manon Daoust

Sales Director

FONA

Joan Embury

Director, Business Development

Licious Living

Debbie Ferguson

Research and Development

Sensient Flavors

Carol Anne Ferrari

Production Scheduling Manager

Chudleigh's

Pauline Goodal

President

Eve Chocolatier

Ulett Hibbert

Volunteer

Canada Colors & Chemicals

Nancy Hunter

Technical Services Manager

Reuven International

Shirley Irvine

National Account Manager

Unilever Foodsolutions

Sonya Kaute

Partner

Eco Chefs

Chris Lianga

Owner

On the Side Kelly

MacDonald

Account Manager

Kerry Canada

Leanne Mangiardi

Sales

Univar Canada

Michelle Marshall

Account Executive

Flavour and Fragrance Specialties

Tracy Maud

Customer Service Manager

Chudleigh's

Robin McCardle

Corporate Account Executive

Novotaste

Jody McCurdy

Regional V.P. Sales

Griffith Laboratories

Luisa Melo

Quality Assurance Co-ordinator

Chudleigh's

Catherine Murphy

Distributor

Xocai Healthy Chocolate

Alejandra Neira Rabinovich

QA Manager

Castro Foods

Mariko Nguyen

Camros Organic Eatery

Cynthia Peters

Partner

The Spice Sisters

Irene Pfahler

Sales Representative

Univar

Kim Pines

President

In FRENCH Only/In SPANISH too!

Amy Proulx

Nutrition and Food Scientist

Ginger Quinn

VP Business Development

TTS Sales and Marketing

Annie Robin

Account Manager

Bell Flavours & Fragrances (Canada)

Cynthia Sexton

S&T Project Manager

Cadbury

Kathryn Simpson

Principal

Kathryn Simpson Consulting

Debra Smolkin

Hospitality and Retail Recruiter

Lecours Wolfson

Susan Sparrow

Owner/President

Sparrow's Luggage & Leathergoods

Kim Teichroeb

Director, Regional Contracting

Avendra

Katherine Zsebok

Account Executive

FONA

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PISTACHIO NEWSWIRE

Mar 1
Saputo fined for distributing snack food at daycare; new Quebec law
New Canadian study finds that eggs may help reduce high blood pressure
Fresh fruit up 16%, veg 20%, breads and cereals 11% in calendar 2008

Feb 27
Canadian Competition Bureau OK’s Tyson sale of Lakeside beef plant
Niagara’s CanGro plant back in business to make fruit snacks

Feb 26
Marketing now that consumption is being considered more than ever before
Free food promos work wonders for Denny’s and Quiznos
Food processing union signs Mexican farm labour in Canada

Feb 25
UManitoba scientists awarded for protecting grain from spoilage
A new 20- and 30-something gastro demographic
BC restaurateurs go nuts for Redbro heritage chickens from France
George Weston Ltd Q4 profits $404 million, up from $151 million last year
Maple Leaf Foods right on schedule with economic recovery plan
Smucker’s profits up 84 %
Delmonte posts $60.5 million profit for Q3

Feb 24
Heinz profits up 11 %…
... but they’re marketing spending is down

Feb 24
Permission-based email marketing builds customer loyalty, study

Feb 23
Breathrough technology for Ontario fruit, natural snacks
Hayato Okamitsu wins gold at Banff’s 2009 Culinary Championships
Food safety trains and certifies inspectors for a growing need
Campbell Soup profits down 15 %

Feb 22
Food prices up 7.3 %, inflation down 1.1 %, gasoline down 23.5 %
Results from the Harper government’s inquiry into the listeriosis outbreak are being held up, breaking federal information laws.

Feb 21
Tim takes a bit of a hit
High-temp byproduct acrylamide may go on toxic list
FCPC signs deal with supply chain management network
Canada won’t give “organic” label to cloned meat, organic or not

Feb 19
“Very strict definitions” for organic foods
India looks to Canada for food processing expertise

Feb 18
U.S. sets out to push for country of origin (COO) labelling

Feb 18
T.O.’s Urban Food Production policy considers sales of homegrown produce

Feb 17
Food co. giants go strategically lean; Kraft, Sara Lee, Heinz

Feb 16
Former Peanut Corp managers on unsanitary conditions ignored in 2006

Feb 12
Avian flu detected at second B.C. farm

Feb 11
Farmers planting biotech crops on the rise

Feb 9
Timeline of Peanut Salmonella incident

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EDITORIAL
By Stephanie Ortenzi

Why you should meet TED

Sometimes you need some inspiration. Sometimes you need to hear about someone who has accomplished some exceptional feat or has a fascinating tale to tell.

For that, I go to TED , which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. TED is a distinguished annual conference that presents the most exciting ideas from the greatest minds on earth, and that’s no exaggeration.

Recently, TED has started doing food via their offshoot conference aptly called TASTE.

Watch this inspired and fascinating talk by Dan Barber, chef-owner of New York’s Blue Hill restaurant and farm, an operation that follows a self-sufficiency model.

Just a few of my other current favourites:

And for sheer jaw dropping and awe, check out ocean explorer Robert Ballard shows us astonishing findings, like upside-down bodies of water near the ocean floor.

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WORDS TO THE WISE
Sage Wisdom from Donna Messer

It’s not the quantity of business cards you collect; it’s the quality of the relationship you build.

In today’s economy, many of us are scurrying around trying to find that next career opportunity. And in almost every case, we are all using our networking skills to find what we seek.

A new report was just released from Pepperdine School of Business in California. It’s called “Professional Networking and its Impact on Career Advancement”

Statistics show that networking effectively has a significant impact on income. The study segmented the “elite-professional demographic” with 58% between the ages of 39 – 60. In this study, earnings were substantially more than the national average. Most were in leadership or executive roles working full time. The respondents reported that their networks were the most significant tool in identifying, and securing jobs. 46% sited networking as the first and most important step in the job search process.

The social network LinkedIn was rated high when it came to public and private websites visited most frequently. WFIM is on LinkedIn and it should prove a valuable tool for all our members. I encourage everyone to “link in” and get connected to career opportunities

If the Pepperdine study is reflective of our present economy, we must use networking more effectively, and many of us will need to consider taking lessons to maximize our networking skills.

We know that WFIM has listed “networking” as part of our mandate and if there is a need for members to perfect their skills, I’m sure our events committee will find a way to fill that need!

With our present economic position – I encourage you to keep your network current. You never know when you might need that referral or connection. I have written dozens of articles on networking – and I’m happy to share them with our WFIM members. Remember when you network effectively – you get work! For a copy of the Pepperdine Report, send an email to me with Pepperdine in the subject line.

Get LinkedIn – find out how social networking can help you when it comes to career opportunities.

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