FOODMatch’s Post

“Grain” of the Year: Buckwheat You've had buckwheat if you’ve ever slurped soba noodles or eaten kasha. Now this pseudo-grain (it’s a seed, really) is turning up in snack foods on grocery shelves and on restaurant menus. There’s a lot to love about it: Buckwheat is gluten-free, decent on the protein and fiber front, and cooks up faster than white rice. Try buckwheat groats in a grain bowl or buckwheat flour in baked goods, where it’ll add a nice earthy, nutty note. How will you use buckwheat in 2024? (📸 Alison Ashton) #foodtrends

I've developed hundreds of products in my time, but I'll definitely remember this one! What you see here is a gorgeous polished ad, but it's the culmination of 18 months of NPD. Here are my top 3 takeaways from Capilano Hot Chilli Honey: 🌶 DO walk your product to a supermarket to check what the lighting and shelf position (shadows!!) does to your product presentation. We almost had a beige label, but doing this test showed white was the right choice. 🌶 DON'T discount the learnings from those that came before you. We bought a range of other chilli infused honeys and absolutely pulled them apart to learn everything we could. Within the product group we observed phase separation, crystallisation and high moisture borderline-fermenting chilli honey. A lab analysis report confirmed the preservation hurdles I needed to employ, trialling a variety of chilli formats solved the fermentation issue, and a specific blend of honey floral varieties meant we could slow crystallisation for our consumers who love to drizzle! I formulated our chilli honey to have superior product stability and eating quality, but I owe much of this learning to our competitor's work, not just my own. 🌶 DON'T overcomplicate a name. We pitched it as "Pizza Honey", then "Hot Honey" but people kept asking what the product was. We ended up marketing this product as it is, honey with real habanero chilli in it. Simple. People will still put it on pizza, chicken wings, salad, cheese, work lunches and stirfry because it's an inherently versatile product. We even had someone recently tell us it's great on yoghurt for breakfast. While chilli honey yoghurt isn't everyone's cup of tea, I read that as we could've gone even hotter with the chillies!

"Indulge in the quintessential English Breakfast experience at H&Charlie The Steak House! Our hearty breakfast platter features sizzling bacon, perfectly fried eggs, buttery toast, flavorful sausages, grilled tomatoes, and baked beans. Join us for a delicious morning delight that's sure to satisfy your cravings. 🍳☕ #EnglishBreakfast #BreakfastGoals #SteakHouseBrunch"

Questions you stop asking when you’re empowered to cook for yourself: . . - How much should I tip the restaurant staff? - Who came up with these portion sizes? - How much sugar is in this sauce? - How old were the ingredients before the restaurant cooked them for my lunch? - Why did am I spending so much at restaurants every week? - What should I do with this extra rice/pasta/fries? - What the hell is sodium hexametaphosphate, and why is it in my dinner? Becoming a skilled home cook means taking back your power from our shady food industry. And ending your reliance on questionable food.

Incorporating the latest food trends onto your menu doesn't have to be hard! Try creating avocado toast variations using whole grain breads or use buns for breakfast sandwiches with unique fillings like smoked salmon and cream cheese or scrambled tofu with spinach and mushrooms. See more creative solutions here: https://ow.ly/s3Mh50Szj3M #foodservice #breakfast #foodtrends

The best part about making my own double-smoked bacon is being able to utilize it throughout some of my private dinner menu options. From starters, salads, soups, sides, entrees, sauces etc. It's a lengthy process, but well worth the time & patience while making it. Another thing, I get to cut it as thick or thin as I like. Nothing compares. Can't forget about my cheeseburgers.🤤 #foodlife #KenPatrickSpiceRubs #PrivateChef #MeatMeOutBack 🥩🔪🔥

Light up your menu this summer with J.T.M.'s Birria Sauce. Discover the Birriabilities with this flavorful, allergen free, labor-saving sauce. Create traditional Birria tacos or quesabirria, or think outside the tortilla and create a Birria Grilled Cheese, Birria Philly Steak, Birria Pizza, Birria Wings or Birria Egg Rolls. With this sauce, it has never been easier to get the hottest trend in food service on your menu. #letscreategreatdishestogether #birria #tacos #culinary

When I started Gringuita Cookies in the summer of 2020, I had no idea what I was doing. I had never taken a business class in my life, had only recently returned to the US from Uruguay, where I had been living the previous two years, and didn't have the faintest idea of what industry I was entering (what the heck is CPG?). I had one goal, two words: Whole Foods. I might have been lacking knowledge, connections, and financial backing, but I did have experience selling my gourmet cookies for about a year while living in Montevideo (capital of Uruguay, stay with me people). I figured it'd be easier to start a business in English, my native language, than what I had been doing, which was marketing the cookies in Spanish, not my native language. Also, I was stuck in the US because, well, Covid. (Contrary to popular belief, I was not planning on leaving Uruguay, but came back to quarantine with my family for what I thought would be a couple of weeks. That clearly did not work out for me.) So how did I go from ground zero with no resources to landing my product on my dream retailer's shelves in under four years? -started with $3k (enough for rent in a shared commissary kitchen, some supplies, and ingredients). I only reinvested profit for the first ~3 years. -mixed over 4,000lbs of dough with my two hands before getting access to a commercial mixer -moved from the shared commissary to a catering company's kitchen, then to a bakery, where I was able to use their bakery equipment after hours. -joined every farmers market. Some weeks I popped up at 6 markets, rain or shine (emphasis on the rain). Sometimes there were two thousand people in attendance. Sometimes there were just two. -went from labeling my packaging with a Sharpie, to using colorful stickers, to the printed packaging you see today (I drew my logo, and the photos were taken with my right hand while I was holding the cookie in my left hand) -cold called the best gourmet markets in South Florida and started distributing to them myself. -received a small loan through Quickbooks and moved into my own commercial kitchen *sigh of relief* -was selected to be part of WFM's Local and Emerging Accelerator Program (LEAP). Over a thousand brands applied, only 10 were selected. (!!!) -passed my first SQF audit without hiring a consultant -onboarded with GFI, my first national distributor, and delivered two pallets, almost 1500lbs of dough -received my first equity investment upon completion of LEAP -sold out of each SKU in the Whole Foods in Palm Beach Gardens, which just so happens to be a few minutes down the road from my very first pop up back in the summer of 2020. You know the quote, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right”? I’d like to change that to, “If you think you can, you’ll try.” Whether this will be a success story or not, it sure has made my life more interesting. Thank you to everyone who has helped, supported, and encouraged me along the way.

Cook your own food or eat what they will not tell you what they are serving you. Do restaurants have to disclose if they use lab-grown meat? Ask the server or restaurant owner where they source the chicken for their dishes. You can be as specific as to ask if the chicken is organically or conventionally raised or lab-grown. Still, it is critical to note again: Restaurants do not have to disclose where they get their meat or if their meat is lab-grown