Food Trends 2019

As 2018 comes to a close, the food and beverage industry is all set to embrace new trends that will dominate in 2019. This year, there is a clear conscious move towards sustainable practices, organic produce and reviving forgotten and lost ingredients. As new flavours are on the horizon, drawing inspiration from worldwide regions, we talk to well known chefs and find out what they have to say about top food trends.

Chefs now days are proactive in catching up with future trends based on consumer behaviour and feedback and guest expectations from the food service industry. We talked to few Chefs: Chef Gaurav Narayan, Executive Chef, Novotel Guwahati, Chef Rajiv Malhotra, Corporate Chef – Chor Bizarre Restaurants and QSR & Casual Dining Habitat World, Chef Ravi Shankar Sharma, Executive Chef, Novotel Ahmedabad and Chef Swaminandan, Executive Chef, Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla, who forecasted the trends and resolution for 2019.

- Sharmila Chand

Key Food Trends 2019

Chef Gaurav Narayan

For any hotel, food and beverage definitely are key drivers and it is our responsibility to keep evolving new and unique offering for our guests. In my opinion the top four trends the food industry will see this year are:

Living the Organic way- We have seen an increased focus towards fitness and living a healthy lifestyle. This translates into guests demanding for organic fruits, vegetables and naturally grown produce. Of course, while eating with organic produce, guests expect that flavours are maintained without compromising on taste.

Back to Basics- Back in the early days, spices such as ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, sage and parsley were not just used to enhanced taste but also for health benefits and recovery. Resorting to such healthy and flavourful spices in our daily food preparation will be one of the major trends this year.

Indulging more into naturally occurring Probiotics or Pro-biotic ingredients like homemade granola bars, cereals, jaggery etc will also be seen in the menus.

We can also expect to see a variety of gourmet versions of retro treats, made with higher quality ingredients and as per the guest’s requirements.

Chef Rajiv Malhotra

Fusion Food

Organic Produce

Health Foods (Super Foods)

More focus on Vegetarian Diet

Chef Ravi Shankar Sharma

Major trends we see shaping the food and beverage industry in 2019 are:

Nutrition is key: The shift from junk eating to healthier food is quite prominent and we have seen guests asking for a wholesome nutritious meal including green and organic produce.

Gluten free: Food and health is connected undeniably, and gluten-free options are one of the trends which will continue to be here to stay.