Can a trend actually be planned or artificially created? If yes, how? If not, why not?
If you’re anything like me, you look at food trends as more than just fashion statements and hypes. In my opinion, they respond to problems, yearnings and desires, which implies that they can’t be planned. But if food producers or restaurateurs understand the true concerns of a trend and manage to provide viable answers to them at the right time with their products or services, they can not only successfully ride a trend wave, but also help to shape the way the trend evolves. Think about chefs like Rene Redzepi, Daniel Humm and Paul Ivic, who have found ingenious culinary answers to the problems of our far too meat-centric food culture.
Beyond all trends, what are the most important characteristics of a compelling gourmet product in your opinion?
Transparency of origin and a focus on ethical and sustainable criteria in production. Of course, it must also be sophisticated to stimulate the senses. However, a gourmet product today doesn’t just have to taste good. It must also put the mind at rest – think ‘sustainability’ and ‘animal ethics’.
All things considered, which gourmet trend was and is the most drastic and momentous of the past decades – and why?
‘Local food’, the return to or rediscovery of regional diversity . And there is still a lot of wiggle room for improvement in the coming years. Another major development in our food culture is something I’ve described as the ‘Copernican revolution’: meat is no longer the centre of attention and vegetables are the new stars, although this trend is currently still more prevalent in high-end restaurants. Keyword ‘vegourmets’. The fact that cuisine is becoming more ‘feminine’ and ‘younger’ – in other words, less meaty – is already reflected in many new, urban gastronomy concepts.