DIET, FUSION CUISINES, SMALL PLATES TOP RESTAURANT TRENDS IN YEARS AHEAD

Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co. Inc.
International Restaurant Consultants
912 President Street Brooklyn NY 11215

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2004
CONTACT: Michael Whiteman
718 622 0200 or baumwhiteconsult@mindspring.com

LAS VEGAS, NV -- The American consumer's relentless focus on health and diet is the number-one trend affecting restaurants today. More than one-third of hotel food and beverage directors from around the country, assembled here for the fifth annual Hotel Food and Beverage Forum, cited diet awareness and concern about obesity as the prime issue driving their restaurants' food and menus. The poll was taken by trend-spotters Rozanne Gold and Michael Whiteman during their address on fashions in food to 250 major hotel food and beverage executives. Gold and Whiteman are principals of the Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co., the international restaurant consultants who created and operated Windows on the World and the Rainbow Room, two of the world's largest-grossing restaurants. Gold and Whiteman also pinpointed their own top trends impacting restaurants in the years ahead:

SMALL PLATES ARE BACK, BIGTIME: Call them mezzes, tapas, antipasti, samplers, ethnic appetizers are becoming today's main courses. Restaurants usually promote little dishes when the economy's turning down, but that's not the case today. So why now? These little dishes have concentrated, eclectic and global flavors. They give customers control over their meals. They appeal to the ’ÄúAtkins Army’Äù that views main courses as a minefield of carbohydrates. They go better with today's wacky sweet and high-alcohol cocktails. And they're more fun. Even Buca de Bepo, famous for food overflowing its oversized platters, is now pushing small dishes because people are concerned about their waistlines. People are assembling their own tasting menus ’Ķ and liking it.

HOT CUISINES: Gold and Whiteman pointed to Asian-Fusion (Chinese-Thai-Vietnamese, Indian-French, Japanese-French); Spanish (because that's where food writers are traveling); Indian (because that's where American chefs are traveling, and because Indians are the second-largest legal immigrant group to the US); Specific Latin-American Regions (from Peru, Puebla, Argentina, Brazil, Oaxaca). What they have in common: they're ’Äúdiscovery foods’Äù with lots of spices and bright colors. And they're highly simpatico with beer.

HOTTEST OF ALL, said these trend-spotters: Next-Wave Japanese. Because entry-level sushi is available everywhere from steakhouses to convenience stores, chefs are cranking up their creativity with dishes like Clams Casino with Sea Urchin Roe, Foie Gras Sushi, Lobster Tempura Roll with Curry Peanut Sauce, Monkfish in Jalapeno Jelly. Why? In truth, traditional sushi would be rather bland if not for wasabi paste and pickled ginger, so consumers are ready to move on to bolder flavors and more adventurous dishes.

TRENDY INGREDIENTS: Pomegranates, wasabi, tamarind, smoked paprika, arepas (corn griddlecakes from South America), green tea, cardamom, fresh curry leaves, zaatar, fresh salsa-like chutneys, all kinds of Indian breads. Gold and Whiteman predicted that naan will become the new focaccia.

SANDWICH OF THE YEAR: Upscale Burgers made with luxury ingredients ’Äì topped with foie gras and truffles, or made of Kobe beef, minced with braised short ribs and madeira sauce for deeper flavor, or served raw with caviar. One of these plus a glass of prestige wine can set you back sixty bucks. Why now? Because the economy's better and people are treating themselves with ’Äúfrivolous indulgences.’Äù

PEDIGREED PRODUCTS ON RESTAURANT MENUS: Customers are responding to brands such as Pipestone Farms pork, Niman Ranch beef, Summerfield veal. Ducks and chickens are getting first names, too. Kobe-style beef, riddled with fat, is getting a big play among the low-carb devotees. And ’Äúsingle-source’Äù chocolates from countries like Ecuador, Ivory Coast or Mexico are now the rage; slip the name ’ÄúManjari’Äù (from Madagascar) before the word ’Äúchocolate’Äù and dessert sales shoot up. Restaurant customers are learning the zip codes of farms that supply restaurant products ’Äì Elysian Fields lamb, Humboldt Fog goat cheese, Old Hill blue cheese, Old Chatham mutton button sheep milk cheese ’Äì and seeking out locally made wines. Why? Add mad cow scares and PCBs in farmed fish to issues of health and obesity, and you see right away why people are increasingly concerned about what goes into their mouths. Plus ’Ķ there's a growing sense of connoisseurship in this country that leads customers into upscale decisions.

OBJECT OF DESIRE: Tandoori ovens for restaurant kitchens and, soon, backyard barbecues.

BIGGER OBJECT OF DESIRE: Fantasy desserts. Three desserts to a plate. Frozen cocktail desserts. Cotton candy makes a comeback.

BIGGEST OBJECT OF DESIRE: MONEY. With Emeril reportedly earning over $7 million last year and Rocco's overnight TV success, chefs everywhere are clamoring for national exposure. They've discovered that stardom gets them big money, in the form of management fees and royalties, to take over failing hotel dining rooms. It also gets them out of the heat and into business suits, turning real cooking chores over to hired hands. Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Wolfgang Puck, Michael Mina, Todd English are leading an ever-growing parade.

Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co. is a world-famous food and restaurant consulting firm. They specialize in creating high-profile attractions around the globe. Clients have included restaurant chains (Red Lobster, del Taco), museums (National Gallery of Art, John Paul Getty Museum), hotels (Beverly-Wilshire, Raffles Hotel Group) and restaurants (they've created more three-star restaurants in New York than anyone).