Home-Grown Ingredients

The current health craze is set to continue come 2016. With the ‘farm-to-table’ and ‘eat local’ movements increasing in popularity, more chefs are either working directly with farmers to source fresh, natural ingredients, or have decided to simply grow their own.

Lorraine Fung – of Catering by Lorraine projects that dishes promoting healthy diets will be on the rise. “Jamaica lends itself to natural foods, grains, and herbs. Based on our climate, we can work with incorporating peas and greens with other readily available vegetable options in our meals. There is a greater emphasis now on not only eating local, but growing your own ingredients. A lot of people are venturing into home gardening at the moment,” Fung, who is currently making plans to improve her own home garden – tells Thursday Life.

Lisa-Gaye Chin, proprietor of Fromage Gourmet Market, concurs. “Healthy eating is on most Jamaicans’ minds these days. I foresee that veggie-based food will be a major focus for 2016,” she says

Chef Celeste Gordon owner of Whip it Up Catering Company

In terms of ingredients, the ‘farm to table’ concept will prevail. People appreciate getting naturally grown, ripened properly items to eat. It makes a world of difference to the food’s appearance and flavor when you are eating the ingredients in their prime.

Brunch is Back!

The ‘meal between meals’ is no longer just an option for special occasions, says Chin, who forsees a spike in numbers for the brunch movement, due in part to the creativity that serving a meal between breakfast and dinner facilitates.

“Brunch seems to be popular at the moment, and I think this will continue into the New Year, and the bigger and more over-the-top, the better. Look out for the rise of specialties like lobster rolls and sliders, as well as small nosh menus,” she adds.

Goat Cheese

With a keen eye for flavourful fusions, award-winning caterer supreme Allison Porter-Smalling of Ally’s Kitchen anticipates an upsurge in the demand for alternative cheeses.

“Goat cheese is one ingredient that has become a new trend of mine,” said Porter-Smalling. “Although it has become a lot more common in grocery stores, the cheese itself is not as common as mozzarella. The first time I encountered a Mont Chèvre brand goat cheese it had cranberries in it and I found the cranberries brought the fruitiness and the goat cheese itself brought out the tartness. To my surprise, they both worked well together.”

Having used goat cheese as a substitute in pastas, salads, and even macaroni and cheese, she highly recommends it as an option for consumers looking for healthier alternatives.

Cured Meats

Having paid attention to the bacon boom of 2015, enterprising foodie Simon Levy and his business partner Darshan Young turn their focus to creating smoked, Italian-inspired, flavour-infused cured meats.

“I cured a lot of ham over the holidays, and coming into the New Year, I’ll be doing a lot more bacons and pancettas, with flavour infusions like five-spice and honey,” Levy tells Thursday Life “So far, personally, I’ve been using them in pastas and stews among other dishes, and what you find happening is that there is need for less ingredients, because the meats are full-flavoured and better tasting in and of themselves”.

Fusion and Ethnic

Culinary artist-on-the-rise Jordan Chuck of J Jakes Catering spots fusion on the horizon… be it of cuisines or of traditionally contrasting flavours, it’s all in the mix!

“A few trends I think will pop up or become more prevalent in 2016 are savoury and sweet fusions, like bacon jam, and candied ham. As well as herbal infusions like compound butters, and beverages such as tarragon and lemon iced teas,” Chuck tells Thursday Life. “Spice is also going to be big; peppers from all over the world are being explored with Jamaican cuisine or vice versa. I for one will continue to infuse Scotch bonnet peppers into my sushi or Asian-inspired dishes.”

Chuck also predicts a growth in all things exotic, and artisanal, an opinion shared by award-winning caterer Alexa von Strolley, of Tooksie Kay Catering. “I think people are interested in culinary excursions right now and are trying to learn and understand new cultures through food. They want to step outside of the norm and let their curiosity roam and be fulfilled.”

Intimate Dinners

Chef Celeste Gordon forecasts a rise in food consumption in more snug settings.

“I think people will be doing more plated intimate dinners. They want to enjoy food experiences with a closer group of friends/family. This way, it can be more about the plating/presentation of the food, trying more exotic ingredients, and focusing on the subtleties of the food. This also allows chefs to show off their creative side a whole lot more.”