All posts by Jennifer Welsh
Matt Kalil is a former NFL offensive tackle. Like most football lineman, Kalil is a big guy and he keeps up his physique by consuming 5,000-6,000 calories per day. To ensure he gets enough calories and protein, Kalil “indulges” in three protein shakes daily, each containing 60 grams of protein.
Kalil may be an extreme example, but he isn’t the only athlete pounding the protein. The protein supplement market size is around nine billion dollars annually, and is expected to grow to nearly 30 billion over the next decade.
Last month’s blog focused on natural functional foods, like mushrooms for memory, caffeine for alertness, and whole grains for heart health. In this blog, we will explore the other side of the functional market, including supplementation, fortified foods, and ingredients that are nutritionally enhanced.
We can all relate to the feeling of biting into a lush, juicy watermelon on a hot summer day. It’s sweet and instantly refreshing. The reason watermelon is so good at quenching your thirst is because, as the name suggests, watermelon is composed of 92% water. The other 8% is sweet fructose and healthy nutrients. It’s no wonder that this larger-than-life fruit causes us to bring up memories of summer, picnics, parties, and vacation. Watermelon is basically a symbol of summer. But, watermelon isn’t the only sweet treat that ripens just as the days grow long and the kids get out of school. There are a number of lesser-known mouth-watering melon varieties to add to your summer menus, and so many ways to prepare melons beyond just slicing and serving.
It’s a flavor. It’s a drink. It’s a superfood. Matcha powder is a little bit of all three. It’s trendy, healthy, and tasty and has taken the culinary world by storm. This green tea powder features in teas, desserts, smoothies, lattes, and much more. Where does matcha come from and why is it so popular? And how can those in the restaurant business incorporate matcha into their menus.
New Year — New you. As the world prepares to ring in 2023, the food community predicts that the upcoming year will be loaded with more sustainable, healthier, and more wholesome foods. That’s good news for those who crafted New Year’s resolutions related to eating healthier, and reducing their carbon footprints.
I stepped into my neighborhood Dunkin Donuts a few weeks ago. Seemingly overnight, the store had undergone an autumn transformation. Employees had overlain the windows with tantalizing photos of fall foods and pumpkin spiced lattes, apple themed donuts, and slogans like “Trick Out Your Treats.” The counters were lined with fall decor, including orange crepe paper and plastic leaves, and a well-placed sign informed me of the seasonal “Donut Decorating Workshop” for kids next week.
In the summer of 2019, the average cost of a nationwide flight in the United States was about $345. In the summer of 2020, the average cost of a domestic ticket dropped to $245. By the summer of 2022, it had shot all the way back up to $ 330.
These price fluctuations reveal the rapid fire changes that the coronavirus pandemic ushered in.
Now, thankfully, the country is opening back up. But opening up doesn’t mean going back to “normal” — normal being the pre-COVID state of affairs. In fact, quite the opposite.
Drinks are often the items with the highest profit margin in any food business, and when it comes to alcoholic drinks, the profits are even higher. As the pandemic taught us, alcohol sales rose significantly over the past two years, as did the numerous methods of getting liquor out to the masses. Whether it was with online deliveries, curbside pick up or QR code pick up, people the world over made it clear that they needed or wanted alcoholic drinks to help get them through the crisis.
With high profit margins, and almost guaranteed success, bars are making a quick comeback post-covid as people flock to socialize with friends once again. To help ensure the success of your bar, make sure that it is well-equipped with essential bar tools and equipment that can be used to create a diverse array of drinks to satisfy everyone from classic beer and whiskey lovers, to craft cocktail connoisseurs.
The phrase “the sweet smell of success” has never come to life more than in today’s restaurant ‘biz. Increasingly, in what has been coined “olfactory dining,” aromas are being used by foodservice providers to not only whet appetites and entice diners their way, but to generate an orchestrated profit.
If you work in foodservice and are thinking of opening a Bed and Breakfast (B&B), you are using your noodle wisely! Not only are B&B’s almost always privately owned, giving you plenty of freedom to showcase your wares in any way you fancy, but these special hospitality venues are climbing the popularity charts the world over. No longer viewed as merely cost-effective alternatives to hotel rooms, many B&Bs have taken on first-class status with a reputation for being both personal and posh. As a result, growing numbers of consumers are selecting B&Bs as their number one lodgings selection.
If you work in foodservice and are looking for a way to gain an edge over the competition, think creative and even tech-integrated food containers-to-go. The impact of the pandemic has changed the face of the restaurant industry, giving takeout and delivery services a top spot in the realm of operations in a trend that is here to stay. At the same time, eco-friendly packaging, safe food handling, and takeout aesthetics have become all-important to the palates of consumers.