Corporate and Special Event Catering Blog

20 Top Menu Trends for 2012 to inspire Your Special Event Catering

  

Tweet  

  

  

 delicious  

  

A New Year...Here are some new ideas and trends to help shape your next corporate catering, event catering or wedding catering menu. 

According to the National Restaurant Association, the top Menu trends for 2012 include locally sourced food, specifically meats, fish and even alcohol, as the top priory for diners followed by a keener interest in nutrition and healthier eating. Matt Alderton, author of the article, states these 20 trends in this order:

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood

   from soyculto

2. Locally grown produce
3. Healthful kids’ meals
4. Hyper-local items
5. Culinary theme: sustainability
6. Culinary theme: children’s nutrition
7. Gluten Free/food allergy conscious items
8. Locally produced beer and wine
9. Sustainable seafood
10. Whole grain items in kids’ meals
11. Newly fabricated cuts of meat
12. Farm/estate-branded items
13. Food truck/street food
14. Artisan spirits
15. House-made/artisan ice cream                                                                         
16. Culinary theme: health/nutrition              
17. Non-traditional fish
18. Fruit/Vegetable kids; side items
19. Children’s mini-meal – smaller versions of adult menu items
20. Culinary Cocktails

The research completed that formulated this list was from the “What’s Hot In 2012” survey conducted with 1,800 professional all of whom are members of the American Culinary Federation.

My Plate For those pursuing more nutritional meals, the menu guide was The Food Pyramid which illustrated basic guidelines for nutrition has been updated and given a new name: My Plate.  The new My Plate outlines visually, the recommendations of more healthful eating.  Quoting from The Nemours Foundation: “The big message is that fruits and vegetables take up half the plate, with the vegetable portion being a little bigger than the fruit section.

And just like the pyramid where stripes were different widths, the plate has been divided so that the grain section is bigger than the protein section. Why? Because nutrition experts recommend you eat more vegetables than fruit and more grains than protein foods. The divided plate also aims to discourage super-big portions, which can cause weight gain.”

Check out the article on 10 tips to a great plate for more information. 

All of this can be inspirational in planning your next event catering.