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Say farewell to these food trends
Trends

Say Farewell to These Food Trends 2018, Part Four

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There are so many different food trends we could talk about, but this is an installment about the rise and fall of some steadfast favorites. We may be glad to see some of these finally level off. The others may take some creativity to implement, but that’s our job, right? Say farewell to these food trends in 2018 – or at least make sure you don’t center a menu around one of them as a them.  Say Farewell to These Food Trends These items became iconic for a reason. They’re delicious and satisfy cravings, or they satisfy other needs like…

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dressed up basics - cover thrive
Trends

Audacious Basics: Dress Up Those Standbys

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In a recent post, “Culinary Forecast: Food Trends, 2018 – Part Three” I mention that we’re going to back to basics this coming year. As consumers become more aware of the environmental impact of our culinary tastes, it’s not enough to pay attention to food waste practices and farm fresh restaurant philosophies. We want transparent supply chains and ethically sourced ingredients. We want to know exactly what’s in each dish and how it’s been handled. Back to Basics One result of this increasing attention to detail is a back-to-basics movement. We can re-work classics, return to old standbys, and simplify…

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Culinary Forecast
Trends

Culinary Forecast: Food Trends, 2018 – Part Three

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There are a multitude of food trends I could talk about. If you missed part one about superfoods, “4 Superfoods – 2018 Food Trends,” feel free to take a look. I also discuss beverage predictions in “Cheers! Drink Trends for 2018 – Part Two.” Following are a few of my ideas about the culinary forecast. Healthful Personalization At one time, personalization meant being able to asking for extra cheese on that hamburger, or adding a build a your own sundae station and omelet bar at our events. As positive, accepting attitudes about dietary restrictions and better understanding of food allergies…

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drink trends for 2018
Beverages Trends

Cheers! Drink Trends for 2018 – Part Two

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Food and beverage guesstimations and predictions are beginning to pop up everywhere. If you missed my piece on superfoods trends for 2018, take a look and let me know what you think. This week, I’m taking a stab at drink trends for 2018 and the coming years. Labeling Libations Increasingly, consumer trust has been damaged when it comes to food safety. This is, in large part, a result of lack of labeling and slow-to-respond regulatory systems. The beverage industry is one of the least regulated areas when it comes to ingredients, production processes, and their supply chains. Labels on the…

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Turn-it-teal
Food Allergies Food Safety

Turn-It-Teal for October & Thrive! for the Holidays

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The Turn-It-Teal project began in 2014 as a way to increase awareness around food allergies. Now it’s a movement and it’s keeping kids safe on Halloween. Every year, children across the country dress up as their favorite heroes and action figures to collect those precious sweets, door-to-door. However, there is a growing challenge these kiddos face. For many, candy is just a decadent one-night sugar coma.   For a growing number of kids, the unknowns in that handful of candy, can be life-threatening. And while overeating candy is going to lead to a stomach ache for most kids on Halloween,…

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invisible disabilities part one
Disabilities

Thrive! With Invisible Disabilities Part One

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We know what disabilities are, right? If anyone asked, we would be able to chat intelligently about basic difficulties faced by those with disabilities, such as access, accommodations, bullying, and legal protections. What about invisible disabilities? The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) defined a disability as any individual with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. The 2008 extension of the Act was written to include those with allergies, including food allergies. It was updated to better recognize invisible disabilities. Invisible disabilities, also called hidden disabilities, as the term suggests, are…

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Dietary Needs Religious Dietary Practices

Yom Kippur: A Time of Reflection and Food Restrictions (G’mar Hatima Tova & G’mar Tov)

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Dietary restrictions come in many shapes and sizes. They can be health-related, but they can also be religious dietary restrictions. For Yom Kippur, religious dietary restrictions are an important part of this holy day. When menu planning, we always need to take into account whether we have any religious dietary restrictions among our attendees, such as the need for Kosher meals. During holy days, it’s also important to recognize the timing of meals and traditional foods to have available. We don’t have to restrict everyone in attendance, of course. However, having traditional foods available to attendees during the traditional pre-fast…

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superfoods food trends 2018
Trends

4 Superfoods Food Trends 2018, Part One

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Superfoods Food Trends Yes, it’s already that time of year. What are the coming 2018 food trends and how can we prepare for an amazing new year filled with the latest, the best, the most delicious dining delectables? For this piece, what are the 2018 superfood food trend predictions? Well, as someone who fills her days educating professionals from many industries on dietary restrictions, food and beverage laws, and the latest menu planning faux pas, I spend quite a bit of time staying on top of the absolute latest conversations, headlines, and solutions. All that time and focus means I…

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Foodimentary
Food & Beverage

Basics Aren’t Boring – Its Foodimentary!

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My Dear Watson, it’s Foodimentary! As event professionals, it’s easy to get caught up in making everything grand. Dressing things up and making fancy upgrades is impressive, but it can also get complicated. Especially when it comes to designing event menus. That’s where foodimentary comes in. What is foodimentary? According to Urban Dictionary, food blogger John-Bryan Hopkins created the word foodimentary, defining it as “a specific way of looking at food or a food item.” And, that’s what we’re going to do—look at our food through the eyes and stomachs of those with food allergies and other dietary needs. We’re going to…

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Meeting Menu Makeovers
Food & Beverage

Meeting Menu Makeovers

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Meeting Menu Makeovers – Let’s do it! In honor of ANTI-boredom month, I want you to think about how you can banish boring buffets and makeover your meeting menus. We need to stop serving foods that are lifeless, drain our systems and are full of sugar and artificial ingredients (see picture). It is a waste of money, energy and food. Buffets and meeting menus should be inviting, healthy, and full of life. The food we serve at meetings and at work should invigorate us and help us get through the day. Food is so important — it sustains us, it delivers a social focal point, and it is…

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