Hive to Honey

If you haven’t heard of agave nectar or stevia, chances are you will before the year is over. The two sweeteners are showing up in cocktails, bottled drinks and a host of other products. The market for both is exploding.
According to a report by the market research firm Mintel, sales of stevia were close [...]

When it comes to pizzerias catering to customers with food allergies or diet restrictions, gluten-free crust is so 2009 – or rather, that goes for what’s usually employed to make it. Celiac Disease concerns are in fact growing, but those afflicted want more from their food.
Luckily, the ingredients used to make more healthful crusts [...]

Consider chili.
It’s hot, hearty and appropriate to serve in winter months, to be sure, but that’s not the only reason it’s currently restaurateurs’ favorite comfort food.
Chili appears on 43.2 percent of the 6,000 menus that research company Datassential surveys, far outstripping fried chicken, which is on 27.5 percent of those menus, and crushing macaroni and [...]

Eyeing momentum around menu-labeling regulations and a public that seems ready to eat better, a growing number of casual-dining chains are adding healthful options to the menu. What’s different about many of today’s newest good-for-you foods is a focus on flavor rather than just the reduction of calories or fat. It’s an approach that’s more [...]

Flavor & The Menu’s Top Ten Trends for 2010:
Top Ethno-Cuisine Trend: Worldly Sandwiches
Goodbye, ham and Swiss – from now on it’s a world of banh mi, torta, Cubano, tartines, muffalettas and other ethnic/regional sandwiches from around the globe.
Top Sauce Trend: Chile-Fired Sauces
The American palate is ready for a worldview of chiles and chefs are branching [...]

Sales of Greek-style yogurts have been picking up lately, according to two retailers that SN spoke with recently.
“Greek style and probiotics are the big things now. We sell a lot of Greek-style yogurt, both full fat and light,” said Bryan Jackson, dairy manager at Ralph’s Thriftway, Olympia, Wash. Jackson said that total yogurt sales have [...]

When it comes to food trends, expect 2010 to be all about feeling better. And according to the national food media, nothing makes us feel better than meatballs.
Bon Appetit magazine pegged meatballs as the dish of the year; the James Beard Foundation praised them as well.
Just about every culture has a meatball dish — think [...]

If you are the type who follows trends and tastes in spirits, you will no doubt have noticed that recent times have not been good to Cognac. In the face of economic uncertainty and robust competition in the luxury spirits market, sales of the famous French brandy have been hit hard of late, with dollar [...]

Ray Kroc knew Americans’ desire for burgers would endure, but the founder of McDonald’s never would have imagined that the iconic all-American food could take on the global guises it often wears now. Burgers’ renewed popularity has necessitated that chefs unleash their imaginations and develop ever more ways to combine meat and a bun. Often [...]

Although oranges were once a prized Christmas gift and nowadays there are plenty of clementines for consumers’ holiday celebrations, sour cherries seem to be the seasonal fruit of choice at many restaurants.
Much as blackberries this past summer filled the need for something that was kind of different but still familiar, sour cherries aren’t quite run-of-the-mill, [...]