Trends in Catering

Even five years ago, Korean kimchi and gochujang, Japanese dashi stock and Sriracha hot sauce were seen as exotic in the U.S. mainstream, but now they're everywhere. "Bottles of Sriracha are becoming as ubiquitous to diner condiments as ketchup and Tabasco sauce," says Mike Thelin (Linda Burum notes that they're even in Mexican fast food restaurants, where presumably there are other hot sauces), "and 'kimchi mayo' doesn’t require an explanation."
Part of this, Thelin says, is that "fermented foods and chili sauces add depth and complexity that marry incredibly well with classic comfort dishes."
Case in point: Robin Selden calls her small plate of chicken and waffles with kimchi slaw and Sriracha maple syrup "one of the best things we make."
Bret Thorn calls this trend "a popular way to put a new twist on classics" that "grounds consumers in something that seems safe, and thus gives them the freedom to be more adventuresome.“

Don't know dukkah? Our experts bet you will. Linda Burum calls it "the Egyptian blend of toasted seeds, nuts, and spices that adds crunch to just about everything" and notes that "it's now everywhere from a zillion cooking blogs to food-oriented magazines." Ingredients vary from chef to chef and coast to coast. Burum cites, among others, James Beard award-winning chef Ana Sortun of Oleana in Cambridge, Mass., who uses it over Moroccan carrot salad and a dukkah crunch doughnut. Chef Alon Shaya of Shaya in New Orleans "splashes it onto okra," while pastry chef Alison Cates of Honey's in Chicago "turns out a curry-infused sponge cake under Turkish-coffee mousse and dukkah-spiced toffee shards."

"I was hoping to keep this as our secret ingredient as I love when our clients question what it is," says Robin Selden. "Guess the word is out."…