Page 63 - February2019
P. 63

rant in Orlando, FL, chef Mark Harmer is serving up fresh mango gazpacho made with the exotic fruit, tomato, red bell pepper, cucumber, shallots, garlic, salt, sherry vinegar, paprika, olive oil and ciabatta. He says it’s his way of taking a traditional cold soup and putting a new twist on it that appeals to a younger customer base.
“ e access to and availability of these items is increasing, and that is the next part of the evolution, but the real innovation comes from making the sweet and savory soup,” says Woolley.
National Mango Board communications manager Angela Serna asserts she sees an innovative blurring of the lines between pureed
soups and smoothies, especially where savory smoothies are concerned. “ ose will answer Millennials’ cry for  avorful and satisfying plant-based items made from natural ingredi- ents that are naturally nutritious,” she says.
Webster says more cold soups are catching on, but that most often are available at  ne- dining and casual-dining restaurants rather than at quick-service operations. Although some operators are working on sweet soups, they are still in the very early stages and almost exclusively at  ne dining establishments.
If you’re wondering what to expect next when it comes to innovative produce-based soups, think big, bold and ethnic  avors, the experts say. According to Odiorne, more
savory and spicy varieties will be showing up on menus, featuring ingredients such as jalapeno peppers, ghost peppers, chilies, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, curries, cilantro, kale, ramps, vegetable stocks and roasted corn. And Webster says a variety of world cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Nordic countries, Central and South America and the South Paci c, are going to take center stage.
“ e future of food is wide open to many possibilities,” notes UMass’ Toong. “ e food industry is going to continue to be impacted by technology, but at the end of the day, it will all be about healthy, sustainable and deli- cious food.” pb
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