Alan Walsh, Strategic Insights & Planning, Bord Bia - Irish Food Board
Culinary Inspiration: Background
Bord Bia are exploring culinary trends from around the world: Trends in cooking style, food preparation, ingredients and flavours to get inspiration for the next hot food & drink trend. We are looking to gain insights into what is happening at the leading edge and use our findings to inspire innovation amongst Irish food and drink manufacturers.
Through collaboration with our London based research partners, Kantar Futures, and following an extensive audit of leading culinary publications & in-depth conversations with 10 leading edge chefs from around the globe, we discovered the 4 key trends shaping fine dining today, namely: 1. All Natural, 2. Storytelling, 3. Beyond Taste, 4. Adaptive Cuisine.
Deep Dive Into Adaptive Cuisine
We are living in a world that is increasingly built around our individual preferences. There are a multitude of apps built around tailoring the service based on user specifications and feedback; Netflix & Spotify being perhaps 2 of the best examples of this.
In the world of food, we can’t ignore this global wave of tailoring, preferences and making the customer feel unique and special. As culinary technology advances, chefs are able to precisely control every element of the cooking process to ensure the ‘perfect’ plate, thereby optimizing diner experience and satisfaction. The world’s leading restaurants are playing closer attention to individual wants & needs, with the most innovative chefs evolving their service to make their dining experience feel perfectly personal.
Leading Restaurants
The Finch, Brooklyn, New York
First opened in 2014, The Finch is a 2 star Michelin restaurant located in the trendy Clinton Hills neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York. Head chef & owner Gabriel McMackin prides his restaurant on being customer-centric by altering the menu to fit customer’s specific preferences and requirements.
Flexibility is fundamental to the ethos of The Finch, and their flavours reflect this. If it is a dark, cold day they will serve more warming, wholesome dishes than on a brighter day. This tailoring ensures the diners receive personalised, relatable experiences, with tastes that fit their surroundings.
Eleven Madison Park, Manhattan, New York
Eleven Madison Park is a 3 star Michelin restaurant in New York, and winner of the Best Restaurant in the World award in 2017. Delighting & surprising the diner with unique and tailored experiences is Eleven Madison Park’s trademark.
According to co-owner Willa Guidara:
“I think it’s so important that we have opportunities to improvise. That's why no two shows are the same…For us it makes coming to work more fun & I think it makes the experience more special for the guests. Every single tables experience should be different”
To do this, the restaurant employs a “Dreamweaver” , this person’s role is to pick up on visual & verbal cues where people may consciously or subconsciously be giving off information that can be used to make the experience more memorable.
Food Ink, Various
Food Ink has been described as the world’s first 3D printed restaurant, with everything from the plates & cutlery, furniture and decorations – designed using 3d printing technology. This multi-course, Michelin calibre pop up appeared in locations around the world over 2016/17 – including London, Barcelona, Seoul, Rome & Chicago. The 9 course tasting menu here will set you back in the region of £250 per person.
Blending science fiction with reality, the robotic arm of the printer uses precision to combine different flavours over fine layers that even the most skilled/even handed chef would struggle to replicate. Plans are in place to establish a permanent home for the concept.
3D Printed Lobster Dish
The lobster shape itself is 3D printed using fresh lobster & cream puree, and is completely edible. The diner is given a choice of subtly different flavored lobster fillings, once the plate is brought to the table – thereby making the dish fully customizable and personalized.
More on the Adaptive Cusine theme, including some of the dishes, flavours & culinary techniques that shape it, can be found on the Bord Bia Culinary Inspiration website:
https://www.bordbia.ie/industry/events/Pages/BordBiaCulinaryInspiration.aspx
All Images courtesy of Bord Bia- Kantar Futures, Culinary Inspiration, 2017