We were kind of hoping it was less of a “trend” and more of a “this-is-how-we-do-things-from-now-on,” but apparently locally produced food is once again at the forefront Canada’s top 10 restaurant trends. The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association surveyed over 500 chefs to reveal what’s making waves in Canada’s restaurants this year. The full list is below.
Top 10 Canadian menu trends for 2011:
1. Locally produced food and locally inspired dishes
2. Sustainability
3. Nutrition and health
4. Organics
5. Simplicity/back-to-basics
6. Gluten-free/food allergy conscious
7. Craft beer/microbrews
8. Artisanal cheeses
9. Bite-size/mini desserts
10. Quinoa/ancient grains
Honourable mentions have gone to other green-inspired ideals like sustainability, organics and simplicity. But locally produced food took the cake, as it did last year, though it wasn’t the most surreptitious of trends (these days, it would probably be easier to list Toronto restaurants that aren’t locavore-centric).
So what’s different about this year’s list? Small plates and superfruits are off, while health has moved up to #3 from #6, among other changes. Probably most surprising is that free-range poultry/pork is off the list. Apparently, not even Porchetta and Co. could save that one.