Trends and Roles in Culinary Education (Trends)

Trends that exist in the Culinary Arts 2014

   
        Food lovers and critics are constantly pushing the levels of acceptability within the umbrella of

consumables. How have the trends of preparation, cooking, baking, consuming, photography of

food and everything else that is attached to the Culinary Arts progressed?

     

         Farm to table and buying local are two very predominant trends that are here to stay.

Locally sourced ingredients that are sustainable and won't harm Eco-systems is yet another

example of how we as consumers and creators of all things edible must demand this practice,

rather than only have it on special occasions or at specialty shops paying exorbitant costs just to eat

with the confidence that this food is good and nutritious, and has been grown properly with little

effect on our planet.

     Consumers are very adamant that the majority of their consumables are created locally. This is

great for our economical success and also creates pride that says ....yes we can be self sufficient!

We don't need to spend gobs of money for the same thing produced offshore. As an Instructor, it's

very important to me that this is related to the students that I teach. It's better for everyone in the

long run, cheaper prices, fresher product and more Canadian jobs. The classroom look hasn't

changed a ton, but how the students perform whilst in the classroom has! They're more computer

savvy, so we create programs for them to assist with their high tech vision of education. We don't

need to hire Photo-gs to take our pictures for us. Every cell phone has at least a 5 megapixel

camera that can take either pictures or videos. So I have created  platforms for taking very good

pictures, using lighting, props and basically anything else that will give good results. To see the

pride that Students exhibit with not only their work but also the work of their fellow classmates is

fantastic. When a Students asks me if it's OK to film me while I perform a demo, I am more than

accepting, just as long as it is used in the context of School. Our society is a very complex one

now. The onslaught of G.M.O. (Genetically Modified Organisms) foods has created a real problem

that is a trend I would love to see go away right now!! As we address these hard topics in the

classroom, we are faced with more questions than answers Food allergies and its restrictions

combined with consumers wants and needs are over the top. Chefs need to be more aware of the

many ingredients that they can use to help alleviate some of these problematic concerns. When a

customer comes to me and says (Does that prepared salad have any gluten, dairy or sugar of any

kind in it? If it does I can't eat it or I will end up in Hospital for days.) This issue with food is very

concerning and difficult to answer. We most certainly will display the  name of the displayed salad

and provide an ingredient list, to help answer these questions.

     Even more challenging is educating the future Chefs about all of those ingredients and where a

lot of the hidden concerns live. I make it a part of my lectures with all my classes and I typically

talk about my son who lives with Autism and the challenges that we have with food. Gluten, I will

tell the Students, is hidden in a lot of foods that we use to prepare certain recipes. Understanding

these variables is now a necessity in our  industry. As we move forward in Culinary Arts

training we most definitely pay heed to these trends and many others such as how Vegetables are

now being treated like a meat dish. The costs attached to produce is high and the various ways that

we as Chefs can make them taste delicious is as important as any other ingredient that we use in

our kitchens. Molecular cooking is not as much of a burgeoning trend as it is a trend that pops up

and goes away. www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/980423/culinary-trends-for-2013 is

a cool web site that expands on some new trends to watch out for. Some of them are eating more

clean and healthy, which will help our own longevity. Serving smaller portions will also help with

the waist line and also cost the consumer less money to enjoy their favorite restaurants. Asian food

has been around forever, but the trend is to take classic Asian ingredients and work them into more

North American dishes creating a blast of flavor with lower caloric intake. The plethora of fruits

that are available to us are starting to be used in more savory applications to assist with flavors,

tenderizing and overall plate presentations.


        It's in the classrooms and kitchens of today that the future Chefs be educated and trained to

inherit and embrace these trends to the point where they are no longer trends. Plant a seed and

watch it grow.