New Year New Trends

 Every January First there are so many predictions about what's going to be hot and what's not. the same applies to food and drink. What's going to be the number one taste treat? What's emerging? The year rwill tell.

Regulr contributor Kim Severson compiled predictions and trends in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. One trend which can be called nonna-stalgia or grandmacore is the return to comfort foods.People will be craving and eating dried apples, homemade sourdough bread and sauerkraut. Newer generations will be embracing canned veggies, another trend will be regarding texture. Crunchy and chewy are the new buzz words. Thanks to Crunchtok Tiktok trend shattered pastries like croissants and freeze dried candies that burst when teeth touch them are going to be super popular. Andrew Freeman, the president of AF and Company ,a San Francisco consulting firm. states that this is the generation of fluffy, smooth ,crunchy and melty. Chewy will be the next trend since everyone likes a gummy texture.Another trend is using what's in the backyard.Yaupon tea, brewed from the leaves of the holy tree and found in the southeast US is being touted as the only tariff free caffeine drink in the country.There are sodas and margaritas that feature the pawpaw that has a tropical fruit taste of coconut mixed with mango, banana and coconut.

Kitchens will also star in 2026's trend scene.Beauitfully crafted olive oil bottles or a collection of sardine tins can now be used as decor .Whole Foods Market is calling it "kitchen couture<"According to Alan Chen , the chief executive at Taste wise what foods comes in can define the home chefs themselves.There is an ingredient of the year and even vegetable of the year. The first is vinegar, The quality and styles of the condiment will continue to expand. Chefs already spritz thyme vinegar on warm cookies and combine the red wine type with Kombu jelly for raw veggies. It's a staple in Filipino cooking which is taking hold here. The veggie of the year is cabbage!!!! Braised conical cabbage and kimchi were the popular ones in 2024 but now America is deepening its crush on this versatile veggie.Neurodivergent diners will find that there will be more sensitivity. More places will pay attention to light , texture and sound and how they affect diners. There will also be trips to gather ingredients like fresh mushrooms and even help in preparing their food.Value and smaller batch restaurants will also figure large in the upcoming year. Dinners want good quality and being pamperedin a smaller setting where the focus is on them and not on the crowd.

2026 will be an interesting year for both food and eaters. THere will be old recipes and new tastes. It's going to be a fun twelve months for both chefs and diners.

Making MAHA Foods Great Again

 The MAHA - Make America Healthy Again has taken a strong hold amongst America's home chefs and moms.It's also taken a firm grasp on America's products as well. Companies from little start ups to giants like Starbucks are all aboard to try to give consumers the most natural products. Can this work? Time and consumption will tell.

Regular contributor Kim Severson explored this in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Thanks to RFK Jr , most food is now under the microscope as far as ingredients. Everything is suspect ,from Froot Loops to energy drinks to name a few. COmpanies know this or have known this and are amending their formulas. Pepesico is putting probiotics into Pepsi (!!) along with a small amount of cane sugar. Coke is clanging it's classic recipes once again and replacing hi fructorse corn syrup with cane sugar which it hasn't;t done in over forty years.(Adding these ingredients may improve the taste of both sodas). PepsiCo is also the parent company of Lay's and Tostitioss. Their chips will be free of artificial coloring and dyes as well although the company already has a form of this out there called Simply.These are all's natural juices and lemonades which taste like - well - homemade. Starbucks is also jumping on board with its CEO Brian Niccol meeting with Mr. Kennedy about getting rid of artificial colors and sweetness in Starbucks goods and drinks.

 Big box stores.too are embracing this novel trend.  Last year Walmart introduced a line of premium healthier items such as plant based macaroni and cheese along with snacks under the Better Good lines.Lisa Curtis who created a line of moringa - a kind of miracle plant - based  drinks has found a home in the store.. MAson Shaw who oversees what the store stocks noticed that moringa powder, found in the Walmart baking aisles was doing well. He also watched Dr, Casey Means on Tucker' Carlson's show talking about  the MAHA movement and was struck by inspiration. He called Ms. Curtis and told her that the food as medicine idea was taking off. with her help Walmart created a "Better For YOu Super food section next to the flour and sugar in 1,000 stores.It showcases such healthy foods like chia seeds, lion's mane mushrooms and Ms. Curtis Kuli KUli line. Steak n Shake, a once failing chain remade it's French fries with tallow fat instead of hydrogenated fat. It got RFK Jr's"s endorsement which brought in curious and health conscious  diners.

Diets will be changing under the Maha movement. will it help? It's too early to say but hopefully yes.

Top Chef Newest Chef Kristin Kish

Can anyone replaced Padma Lakshmi? She was an unstoppable force of culinary nature for so long on the vastly popular Top Chef. Who can match her for style and verve? The answer is Kristin Kish, a  new breed of host. She's still a force to be reckoned with but in a different manner.

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about this latest addition in today's New York Times Food section. The show needs this fresh injection of new blood. Top Chef is getting older and up against a multitude of cooking competitions.Ms. Kish represents the third wave of hosts. She is different  than the usually chefs like Emeril LaGasse and Bobby Flay who brought the whole 'kitchen bro" onto the culinary scene. Ms. Kish is an gay Korean-American adoptee and a proud product of the Midwest. She also has an impeccable bacground, having co-authored a cookbook, ran a restaurant and appeared on other cooking shows. She's also on social media promoting different products.Chef Kish is really no stranger to the show. She won it back in 2013 and was clearly the heir apparent to Ms. Lakshni. Another likable aspect that viewers may see is her openness. According to Ryan Flynn, a senior executive president at NBC Universal which owns Top Chef's channel Bravo says it was a no brainer. Chef Kish was perfect for the position.

Her background id interesting. She was adopted by Michaigan company Judy and Michael Kish who made sure the young cook never forgot her roots.She ate kim chi, was introduced to a Korean exchange stident and was read The Korean Cinderella (the story was spray painted with scenes for a book in her restaurant while a Korean woman reads the story in Korean). She does grapple with the question of can someone who didn;'t grow up in a Korean family cook the cuisine? she spent her prize money from her Top Chef win to go to her homeland and learn about the food. It did help and she is coming to terms with it. Her background is strictly American taught , with a year at Grand Valley State University. From there  her parents sent her to Chicago' Illinois Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Art. Unfortunately she also self medicated as she also dealt with her sexuality and turning sonw cooking jobs she thought was beneath her. Her parents pulled the plug on the moeny they were giving her. They did give her one more chance. They found her a room in Boston and fromthere worked in a sloew of kitchens. fromthere it was onto Top Chef, thanks to ner mentor Barbara Lynch passing her name on to the show's  execs.All of this lead to the  thriving career she has now.

Kristin Kish is the shot in the arm that Top Chef needs. She 'll bring her own style but one that is relatable and fresh. Contestants and viewers can relate to her.

Food For A Queen

What did medieval people eat? You could read scores of  articles , especially on online and discover a whole trove of info. Or you could just go to your local Medieval Times, and participate in a ground breaking show.

Kim Severson did just that in her article in yesterday's New York Times Food section. This is an interesting place, part Disney, part dinner theater - all fun. The company, started in 1973 by Jose Mortener on the island of Mallorca.His estate was the first setting for the jousting and dining and then moved to where the musical festival was held, Benidorm in 1977. American investors got involved and the first American Medieval Times was opened in Orlando ,Florida in 1983. One opened near me in Lyndhurst, New Jersey in 1990. Yes, I went with family. I remember taking pictures with the king and queenalong with eating the food with the gusto of Henry VIII.  We feasted on roasted chicken and baked potatoes  tearing  all of it with our hands. The meal was followed by some kind of apple tart and cups of tea and coffee.. It was an expensive night out then, with a thirty dollar price tag followed by ten dollars a person for pics with the faux royals. Now it's a whopping sixty dollars with about the same amount of food and drink. The only addition is the  falconry  show, that happens between the jousts.

Medieval Times has made the news recently because their show now feature a queen as opposed to a king.Ms. Severson interviewed the one from Dallas, Monet Lerner. She shares the title with two other actresses, and all feel that's empowering  to little girls. However some may have a different view. It seems Medieval Times' meals are also stars, impressing visitors. The stubby ears of corn that go with the chicken have drawn raves from diners.Stacey Freeman of the Dallas domain raves about them. They are steamed with soy butter (!), sugar, paprika and a little cayenne pepper.This is more ground breaking than spotlighting the female performers. The kitchen uses soy instead of butter or margarine which is a huge breakthrough. What is also impressive is that they also offer vegan meals.of a three bean strew with fire  roasted tomatoes and brown rice. There's also hummus and warm pita bread along with carrot and celery sticks. Dessert is fresh fruit or Italian ices, unlike the regular meal that ends with a pastry (possibly an apple turnover like in the old days) The regular meal has a tomato bisque which is kind of like Campbell's/ They still sell soda as well as tankards of wine and beer.

Medieval Times may have made the news because the queens of their castles are now the stars. What is more gronbreaking is that they're pdating their meals to suit everyone's tastes/They're not stuck in the good old days anymore.