(Craft beer image via Shutterstock)
Craft beer rises to the top in Canadian Chef Survey (CNW GROUP / RESTAURANTS CANADA)
Craft beer has come out on top as the hottest trend on Restaurants Canada’s 2015 Chef Survey. Sorry, fans of kale — you came in third.
“This is craft beer’s time to shine,” said Donna Dooher, interim president and CEO at Restaurants Canada. “Canadians are seeking out niche, local flavours, and it’s a trend that’s moved beyond the plate and into the glass.”
Besides craft beer and microbrews, locally sourced foods placed second, followed by leafy greens.
Chefs across the country identified the menu items and cooking methods at the peak of popularity:
Top 10 hot trends
- Craft beer/ microbrews
- Locally sourced foods (locavore)
- Leafy greens (e.g. kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, dandelion, beet greens)
- Food smoking
- Charcuterie/ house-cured meats
- Gluten-free/ food allergy conscious
- Quinoa
- Sustainable seafood
- Inexpensive/ underused cuts of meat (e.g. beef cheek, brisket, pork shoulder, skirt steak)
- Ethnic sauces (e.g. sriracha, raita/raitha, chimichurri, soy sauce)
More than 400 professional chefs participated in the sixth annual Canadian Chef Survey. The survey was conducted by independent market research firm BrandSpark International in January 2015.
