Foodies, bloggers, and celebrity chefs are already speculating what the shining star on 2015’s culinary stage will be. Kale and quinoa were the super foods of 2012. 2013 was the year of the dumpling. In 2014, meatballs were supreme. For 2015, the Taste of Greenwich House—the Village’s premier food festival and annual fundraiser for the esteemed West Village institution Greenwich House—has the answer. More than30 of the most ground breaking restaurants from the Village and across the city compete for patrons’ palettes with samples of known favorites and off-menu specialties. At the Taste of Greenwich House, innovative chefs set the stage for the coming culinary year. Here’s a look at some of the food trends currently simmering on the back burner that we might just see at this year’s Taste.
Insects are already on the menu at several American restaurants catering to the adventurous eater, but as chefs continue to search for unique ingredients that are both economical and sustainable, some are predicting bugs will be big in 2015. Insects are gaining popularity as a low calorie, protein rich alternative to other meats. A locust burger has already debuted. It is touted as a sustainable competitor to beef because while ten pounds of feed will yield only one pound of beef from cattle, the same ten pounds of feed given to locustswill yield nine pounds of locust meat. Insects are also being used in protein rich flours tofeed malnourished populations abroad and as part of a “hive to table” movement at home that includes a preponderance of homemade honey. Thankfully, bee keeping has recently been legalized in New York.
Toast, the thousand year old breakfast staple, is also angling to become the raison d’etre on kitchen cutting boards. Tired of being relegated to a buttery after thought, toast emerged as artisanal treat on the West Coast in 2014. Bakeries started serving up everything ranging from classic cinnamon and sugar to avocado spreads to pumpkin and almond cappuccino flavored cream cheeses. With some cafes charging close to $4.00 for a slice, a toast backlash limited its spread, but bakers and purveyors aren’t giving in. If gourmet toast can make it to the east coast, it might prove the perfect complement to our $8.00 glass of orange juice.
Chefs, tired of the reigning vegetable king kale, are also trying to shift the spotlight to its long overlooked cousin, cauliflower. Steamed cauliflower has already been supplanted by grilled, broiled and braised heads. Ground up, cauliflower is also showing up as a gluten-free alternative to wheat in pizza dough.
Find out if these or others top this year’s must eat list at the Taste of Greenwich House on March 31, 2015 at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street. For tickets, alist of participating restaurants and more event information visit http://www.greenwichhouse.org/taste or call 212-991-0003 ext. 401.
