News flash! Food fads and trends come and go, but cheese is here to stay. It's amazing what just three ingredientsmilk, culture and saltcan do. One of the world's oldest foods just keeps adapting to be as current as the latest smart phone app.
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, a nonprofit promotion group funded by the state's dairy farmers, carefully monitors cheese trends and happenings. As the country's largest producer of cheesemaking more than 600 varieties, types and stylesWisconsin welcomes another stellar cheese year.
The desire for foods that are natural, small-batch, fresh and sustainably produced continues to be strong, and cheese is benefiting from these preferences. The proliferation of new specialty and artisan cheeses will continue. In Wisconsin, specialty cheese production amounted to 477 million pounds in 2009, an increase of 40 million pounds, or 9% over 2008. At the same time, however, consumers are wary of the economy and seek discounts and value with fervor. In response, supermarket retailers are working with cheese companies to develop private label cheese lines, which often are perceived as lower priced and greater value than brands.
Consumers are eating more meals in-home, and whether they are cooking the meal or picking it up, cheese often stars. Supermarkets are reporting increases in prepared foods sales, everything from sandwiches to hot entrees. Add to this a desire for simplicity and a return to retro and comfort foods, another trend that is cheese positive. Bold and ethnic flavors remain popular in delis as well. For example, Minnesota-based Lunds & Byerly's offers Adobo Chicken Cheddar Bake and Chicken Parmesan Marinara with Pasta in their stores' take-out lineup. Seeing the prepared business as a renewed opportunity, some supermarkets are adding dining-in space.
Chefs at fine-dining restaurants, most deeply affected by the economy, have tapped into their frugal, creative side and taken a page from the food truck and retro/comfort food trend. As the food truck phenomenon continues to flourish, offering burgers, Belgian fries, sandwiches of all stripes, pork in multiple forms and global ethnic specialties, chefs have joined the traffic. If diners aren't coming to the restaurant, take the restaurant to them! The menu isn't the same, of course, but the refined cooking skills are, bringing a new dimension to street fare. Celebrated chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger of Border Grill in Santa Monica, Calif, are sporting sophisticated tacos and quesadillas in their truck while Chef Laurent Katgely of Chez Spencer in San Francisco is serving classic French dishes for under $12 from his Spencer on the Go "mobile bistro." The bistro was featured on the Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race this year.
Some chefs have taken another route to more casual dining, opening additional restaurants where the menus are shorter, costs are lower, prices are friendlier and food more accessible. Two Chicago stars, Chef Rick Bayless and Chef Paul Kahan are attracting crowds for their street food. At Bayless's Xoco, where Mexican sandwichestortasare the substance, the Cubana sports artisan Jack while the Jamon lists Wisconsin's Otter Creek Organic Cheddar as one tasty ingredient. Chef Kahan of Blackbird, The Publican and Avec acclaim, serves a mean queso fundido in his neighborhood taco bar, Big Star.
Gastropubs, another version of casual dining, have burst on the scene big time, and patrons love them, meaning we'll be seeing more of them 2011. These happy establishments offer artisan beers and spirits, along with causal foods that often come in small-plate form. Chef Tory Miller, of Madison, Wisconsin's elegant L'Etoile joined the gastropub group this year with Graze and among his eclectic choices are Soft Pretzels with Widmer's Aged Brick Spread and Roasted Beet and Walnut Burger with Smoked Blue Cheese.
Snacking is a growing way-of-life. One of every five eating occasions is a snack, according to researchers, and salty/savory snacks is a segment that's forecast to grow. According the NPD Group, cheese snacks are now among the Top 10 most popular snacks in the U.S. Americans enjoy about 6 billion cheese snacks a year.
Consumers place a high value on health and well-being. The trend toward natural and healthy foods continues, fueled by national campaigns to combat obesity. Removing transfats, sugar and salt from foods is popular. Increases in retail sales of low fat and reduced fat cheeses are reported, a fact that may spur further development of these types. At the same time, consumers view cheese in general as a wholesome, nutritious food, one that is simple with little industrial processing.
A number of other cheesy and trendy developments are likely to flourish in 2011. Among them:
The rural life is the good life. Look for more rural tourism, vacations on working farmsincluding dairy farmsand urban gardening. The rise of the celebrity farmer has only added to the romantic appeal of rural life.
The never-too-much-of-a-good-thing restaurant. Entire menus will be built around variations on a single entréegrilled cheese sandwiches and gourmet burgers at the forefront.
Tableside cheese service. An increasing number of chefs are buying cheese curds and making their own fresh cheeses. Chef Jasper Mirabile, Jr., of Jasper's in Kansas City is taking it a step further by kneading Wisconsin Mozzarella curds tableside, stretching the mass and presenting a finished ball of fresh Mozz to complete his classic caprese salad.
No end in sight for Hispanic cheese growth. Mexican style cheeses will see continued growth, and Central and South American cuisines will foster broader application. Watch for Chilean and Peruvian cuisines to come to the fore and with them some signature dishes, such as miners' pies (empanadas) and Papas Huacaína with Queso Fresco.
Pies, the cupcake interloper. A number of food watchers are predicting an invasion of shops featuring pies, both sweet and savory. Restaurants will get in on the action, too. Hill Country Chicken in New York City holds a "Pie Happy Hour" Monday-Friday that includes an apple-Cheddar choice.
Pairings make perfect. Bars, gastropubs and home entertaining are big on pairings. Beer dinners are packing in the patrons, and the growing number of locally-made, boutique spirits is spawning lots of interest in cheese companions. As for winehave you tried pairing sake with cheese? Los Angeles-based Barrie Lynnthe Cheese Impresariohas, and she thinks lots of us will be doing it as well.
Trendy foods that like cheese. Look for more of these in 2011: signature breads, whole grain and seedy crackers (sweet and savory), fig products, artisan pizzas, homemade condiments and jams, smoked foods (as well as smoked cheeses), breakfast specialties, nut snacks.
More Meatless Mondays. It's been reported more home cooks and restaurants are choosing this cheese-friendly option. Typical of upscale establishments that have embraced it by adding more meatless choices are Nora and Nage, both in Washington, D.C.
Chef-Created Food Halls. Soon an elegant specialty grocery store, including cheese market, with in-store dining may open near you. New York City has already welcomed upscale food hall concepts from noted chefs Mario Batali (Eataly near Madison Square Park) and Todd English (the Plaza Food Hall by Todd English in the Plaza Hotel).
More Amazing American Original Artisan Cheeses. Despite the economic unease of our times, artisan cheesemakers will continue to create and introduce new cheeses, a "luxury" that's affordable and celebratory, even with something as humble as a piece of crusty peasant bread. As 2010 draws to a close, several outstanding Wisconsin cheese companies honed their expertise to introduce exquisite newcomers: Rush Creek Reserve from Uplands Cheese, a spoonable Vacherin-style variety; Eagle Cave Reserve, a cloth-bound aged Cheddar from Meister Cheese Co.; Pavé Henri, a brine-washed assertive Trappist style from Brunkow Cheese's Fayette Creamery and Meadow Melody, a creamy smooth sheep and cow's milk delight from Hidden Springs Creamery.
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, a nonprofit organization funded by the state's dairy farmers, promotes the consumption of milk, cheese and other dairy products made in America's Dairyland. Wisconsin leads in the country in cheese production, making more than 600 varieties, types and style.
SOURCE Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
