Craft beer takes top spot on Canadian Chef Survey for second consecutive year

TORONTO, Feb. 10, 2016 /CNW/ - Craft beer is a trend with staying power, according to Restaurants Canada's 2016 Canadian Chef Survey. After rising to the top of the 2015 survey, craft beer/microbrews remains the No. 1 hot trend in Canadian restaurants.

Close to 500 professional chefs across the country identified the menu items and cooking methods at the peak of popularity, as well as up-and-coming culinary trends. The category "house-made condiments/sauces" is new to both lists for 2016, underscoring the strong interest among chefs and consumers in unique food and beverage flavours.

Top 10 Hot Trends

1. Craft beer/ microbrews
2. Charcuterie/ house-cured meats
3. Ethnic sauces (e.g. sriracha, raita/raitha, chimichurri, soy sauce)
4. Locally sourced foods (locavore)
5. Food smoking
6. House-made condiments/sauces
7. Gluten-free/food allergy conscious
8. Inexpensive/ underused cuts of meat (e.g. beef cheek, brisket, pork shoulder, skirt steak)
9. Organic produce
10. Leafy greens (e.g. kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, dandelion, beet greens)

In addition to house-made condiments, the "Up-and-Comers" list features several other first-time items: alternative pulse proteins, chef-driven fast casual concepts, ethnic cheeses, and house-made/artisan pickles:

Top 10 Up-and-Comers

1. House-made condiments/sauces
2. Ancient grains (e.g. kamut, spelt, amaranth, freekeh)
3. Alternative pulse proteins (e.g. pigeon peas, cranberry beans, black beluga lentils)
4. Inexpensive/underused cuts of meat (e.g. beef cheek, brisket, pork shoulder, skirt steak)
5. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor
6. Ethnic/street-food-inspired appetizers (e.g. tempura, taquitos)
7. Chef-driven fast-casual concepts
8. Unusual/uncommon herbs (e.g. chervil, lovage, papalo, lemon balm)
9. Ethnic cheeses (e.g. queso fresco, paneer, labneh, halloumi)
10. House-made/artisan pickles

A total of 494 professional chefs participated in Restaurants Canada's seventh annual Canadian Chef Survey, conducted by independent market research firm BrandSpark International between Jan. 11 and Feb. 1, 2016.

The survey includes responses from members of Restaurants Canada, the Canadian Culinary Federation, and the industry at large, and was sponsored by Saputo. Detailed results will be available to Restaurants Canada members later this month.

Infographic: Top 10 Hot Trends and Top 10 Up-and-Comers https://www.restaurantscanada.org/Portals/0/Documents/Chef survey infographic EN.pdf

Restaurants Canada is a growing community of 30,000 foodservice businesses, including restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and suppliers. We connect our members from coast to coast, through services, research and advocacy for a strong and vibrant restaurant industry. Canada's restaurant industry serves 18 million customers every day, and directly employs 1.2 million Canadians.

SOURCE Restaurants Canada

Media Contact: Beth Pollock, Communications Specialist, 416-649-4254 or 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4254, Email: [email protected].