Food
Grape expectations: winter
Now that local produce is done for the season or in storage in many parts of the country, there are still tasty late fall and winter selections that can excite a chef and add color, flavor and creativity to the menu. Consider grapes, for instance.
Technology
Chefs' favorite apps
We asked chefs to name some of their favorites; as we would expect, apps that make chef’s lives in the kitchen easier are the most popular.
California Tortilla is proud of its wacky marketing campaigns—most of which happen on a pretty small budget. To launch their popular Fish Taco two years ago, the chain's founder came dressed up as a scuba diver and had buckets of water dumped on him—all recorded for posterity in a goofy YouTube video.
As we head into the new year, the mega-trends driving menu and product development fall into three major buckets: health and wellness, big flavors and breakfast. Sound familiar? While there are many cutting-edge mini-trends emerging, those feeding the mainstream are sticking to what customers want right now. But both operators and manufacturers are offering unique twists to differentiate themselves within these buckets.