Food Trends: Seasonality Reigns Supreme
“Limited time offers are less widespread but Seasonal
Theming has really taken off” writes The University Caterers Organisation in
their Global Food & Trends Report 2017. Also known as TUCO, the catering
establishment giant further predicts the seasonal food trend will stick around
for the long haul with “expected lifespan: 5-10 years.”
After a year of heavily indulging in everything from freak shakes to symmetrical
Buddha bowls, and juices which are greener than Switzerland’s economy,
2017’s official global food trend is Seasonal Theming. So, just what is
Seasonal Theming and how can you get in on the trend? Read on for hospitality
tips and catering tricks on crashing in on the explosive food trend, set to
grow for 2018.
What is Seasonality?
Seasonal Theming is the commercial side of what many
consumers’ describe as Seasonal Eating. Popularised by a barrage of celebrity
Chefs, activists and television presenters such as Maggie
Beer and Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall, seasonal eating practises sourcing ingredients when
they are at their peak farming season. Often the first reason for a Chef to do
this is riper produce leading to better ingredients, and elevated taste in the
dish; but the secondary factors of environmental preservation and ethical
farming are just as fundamental to the trend’s conscientious core.
Taking off nationally, shifts in Australian dining from
Chef’s choice to menu by seasonal selection can be seen across the country. In
Kinston North Carolina, celebrity Chef Vivian Howard has been making culinary
waves at restaurant Chef & The Farmer
for her season-based dining menu. A self-proclaimed ‘Progressive Eatery’
Howard’s restaurant aims to create more local jobs for displaced tobacco
farmers and offers an insightful menu that is inspired by – you guessed it –
seasonality. In a 2016 interview with environmental sustainability and
sustainable food system foundation GRACE, Chef Howard explains:
“Chef & the Farmer has been serving local, seasonal, modern cuisine since the summer of 2006. Our focus is on creative use of fruits and vegetables with an emphasis on preservation. We cultivate strong relationships with local farmers along the way, making it possible to source more than 70 percent of the restaurant's foodstuffs within a 60 mile radius.”
Seasonality & the Law
With seasonality comes quality, and the latest global food
trend is no different. Customers are looking to companies to connect with
charities, whilst ensuring staff wages and welfare are humanely handled.
Consumers also expect not only better quality food, but better ethical
treatment of workers or animals involved in the farm to fork process. The
national industry scandal during August earlier this year in Bennet Springs of
Perth proved this.
Australia’s federal court ordered one of the country’s largest
egg suppliers to pay “penalties totalling $750,000 for making false or
misleading representations that its eggs were ‘free range’, in proceedings
brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.” Sold under
brands such as Wanneroo Free Range, Swan Valley Free Range and Eggs by Ellah,
Snowdale Holdings Ltd. cashed in on the ethics of the seasonal trend by
actively misleading customers. In a telling press release the Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission bureau stated it was the “highest penalty
that a Court has ordered in relation to misleading ‘free range’ egg claims”,
indicating a national recognition and support of seasonal, ethical farming.
But there’s more to the scandal than a weighty payback fee.
The ethical nature of Seasonal Theming is by design an eating trend of
substance rather than shallowness. Penalisation on such a grand scale shows a
national legal and social support for the food trend; which is restoring
communal trust and faith throughout Australia.
In most developed countries, supporting the everyday entrepreneur
over a conglomerate corporate business will always be favoured – as we have
seen with rise of the independent artisanal caterer. Perhaps this is why
pushing the seasonal trend is more than just a whirlwind fad. It inspires every
Australian to work towards the common goal of preserving our eco-systems – and
ultimately planet – so that future generations can enjoy the earth as more than
just a produce chemical experiment garden.
All Change for Aussie Farmers in 2018
With a new style of eating, new opportunities are presented
for farmers to grow their methods of supplying. One company, Aussie Farmers
Direct of Victoria, has expanded their farming business into a fresh grocery
delivery service using the seasonal trend:
“We wanted to give a modern twist to the old fashioned milkman. […] Our business needed to create a shift in generational thinking about the way our food gets on the table. We asked our consumers to take a breath and think about the farmer behind their food. To our delight, customers not only responded but we started a food movement driven by the community’s appetite for positive change.”
And with the attractive motto of “Straight from the farm
gate to your dinner plate” it’s easy to see why Strines have embraced the farm
turned subscription service. There’s nothing more delightful than a newly
delivered batch of organic produce, fresh seafood, or just churned dairy. When
food is the only necessity you can fully indulge in on a low wage – having quality
produce feels you with pride. Leafy greens that stay as green as they did the
first day you bought them? Check. Whole organic chickens which keep for longer
and roast better? Yes please.
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| Our chalkboards are a smart way to communicate new seasonal ideas to customers |
How to Get Involved with Seasonality
Involving your restaurant in the Seasonal Theming trend
doesn’t have to be difficult. Basing daily, weekly, or even monthly seasonal
menu plans around what’s in season can be creatively customised by a Chef.
Make light work of including staff and guests with these 10 fun ideas to make
your Seasonal Theming standout to customers and shine with staff:
1. Seasonality competitions for customers: engage them with a monthly quiz asking which out of the options provided would they like to see in a dish on the menu in the next month or quarter.
2. Educational engagement: employ a local artist to design a ‘Seasonal Eating & Sustainability’ sheet, and get the little ones involved by teaching them about seasonal foods with colour in sheets.
6. Get PROOF (Pasture
Raised on Open Fields) that your suppliers are treating their livestock
ethically. In their own words “PROOF is a certification program for pastured
eggs, pork, chicken, beef and lamb from animals that have been raised on
pasture in open fields” with a strict set of core values which must be adhered
to. Their ethical conduct values are also shared with the Codes of Practise for the
Welfare of Animals.
10. Promote and refine your seasonal
menus by using social media for marketing and feedback. Many customers use
social media as a sounding board for their praise or disdain for a restaurant,
making it an invaluable source for honest commentary. Use it to help you see
what’s working and what customers would like to see less of.
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