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IDEATION FRESH FOODSERVICE FORUM: VEGGIE-FORWARD THINKING
BY LINDA BROCKMAN
Gerry Ludwig (above) of Gordon Food Service speaks at the foodservice forum; The Cheesecake Factory’s Brandon Cook (below left) celebrates his company’s First in Fresh Award.
There is a movement among chefs and restaurateurs to put vegetables  rst on the plate. Separate from the meatless trend that appeals to vegetarians or vegans, this trend uses meat as a  avoring instead of as a main ingredient.
Gerry Ludwig, corporate consulting chef for Gordon Food Service (GFS), praised the use of chicharrón (fried pork skin), bottarga (cured  sh roe), bone marrow, bacon and duck fat to enhance “veggie-centric” dishes at restaurants in larger metropolitan areas.
Ludwig was one of the speakers at the Ideation Fresh Foodservice Forum at the New York Produce Show and Conference in December. Professionals who provide food in restaurant and institutional settings learned how and why to increase their usage of fruits and vegetables. The program highlighted trends in produce and foodser- vice; used cooking demos to illustrate ways chefs use fruits and vegetables; addressed the generational differences through panel discussions; and challenged participants to brainstorm solutions for common foodser-
vice problems in a workshop setting. Ludwig, along with Chandra Ram, editor of Plate magazine, talked about trends. Ram discussed how kale and Brussels sprouts went from being the stepchild side dish to vegetable supermodel with help from marketing and promotion specialists. She also pointed out some innovative ways restaurants place produce on the menu, such as a snap pea caipirinha cocktail from
Nacional 27 in Chicago.
Ludwig predicted the new vegetable
stars for 2019 would be sweet potatoes,
stone fruit, radishes and heirloom tomatoes, while Ram said cabbage will be the latest produce darling in foodservice.
Another trend mentioned by Ram was all-day dining. She cited LinkedIn’s predic- tion that 43 percent of the workplace will be made up of freelancers by 2020, which means many professionals are getting work done at a café or coffee house. “That is just the way the world has evolved. A lot of people just need a place with food, drink and wi . That place becomes their of ce. So, what we are seeing is food that is healthier because if you are going to be sitting in a cafe several times a week, the food needs to be lighter, which means more produce.”
Taste Trends, Flavor Innovations
Each year, Ludwig and his team at Gordon Food Service visit restaurants – most of them have been open for a year or less – in three markets: New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. This year, the team tried 1,200 “veggie-forward” dishes at 125 restaurants, completing the process just two
NYPS16 JANUARY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
‘[Millenials] will make a healthy choice in favor of conve- nience, like to try and use exotic ingredients, and are more likely to buy single servings.’
— Jann Dickerson, Think Food


































































































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