Flavor & The Menu

Seasonality plays into the "Toast of the Month" LTO offerings at D.C. based Toastique. The November toast will feature turkey and take its inspiration from Thanksgiving before closing the year with a slight twist. “In December, we always make a sweet toast—all the other months are savory. Last year, we did a Cinnamon Toast Krunch, which was one of our more popular ones. It was perfect for Christmastime, when people typically indulge a little bit more,” Brianna Keefe, Founder & CEO says. While indulgent, the special still kept fresh ingredients front and center, with almond butter, housemade Krispy Cinnamon Krunch cereal, mixed berries, a dollop of coconut whip and fresh mint. The LTOs serve the dual purpose of keeping customers engaged through fresh items and honing Toastique’s broader menu development. What seasonal LTOs are you most excited for? https://lnkd.in/ex-uUk_b

A lifelong learner, Chef Benjamin Lambert is always on the hunt for fresh ideas and sources of inspiration. He finds them by visiting restaurants with unique flavor profiles, buying "too many cookbooks" and continually developing new recipes. "That’s one of the best things about cooking for a living. Every day is different, and you are always learning something new," he says. Lambert’s Kitchen Collaborative recipes are a clear demonstration of passion in action and his ever-expanding expertise. Get the recipes: https://lnkd.in/ewDcAaTk

If you have not yet had the opportunity to attend The Flavor Experience, here's a taste of what you can expect! Want to be the first to know when registration opens for 2025? Sign up for our newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/emgKqQ6A

Explore new takes on a pair of favorite dips: one served hot and hailing from Mexico, the other cool and refreshing with origins in the Mediterranean. Both share a craveable, creamy base and seemingly endless flavor variations: https://lnkd.in/e3Stzgbn By rob corliss

Canadian premium casual Moxies has ambitious plans for unit growth and menu evolution. Here, Brandon Thordarson, director of culinary and beverage and brand executive chef, discusses flavor building, recipe development and consumer preferences in the U.S. versus Canada with our managing editor, Katie Ayoub: https://lnkd.in/dU4NBssB

When multiple menu innovators begin churning out dishes within the same format or flavor profile, their collective interest often signals an emerging trend. Dig into the following seven recipes to uncover flavorful new builds and spark fresh ideas: https://lnkd.in/ep2nZTRd

Chris Aquilino views his career in the culinary arts quite literally. “I have always had one foot in the food world and the other in the visual arts world,” says the senior director of enterprise culinary for Elior North America. Aquilino earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, studying both sculpture and culinary arts. Here, he brings this dual passion to Kitchen Collaborative with three recipes that are works of culinary art: https://lnkd.in/eHK2GfWb Written By Patricia Fitzgerald

Rise and shine with...barbecue? Despite its inherent craveability and popularity, barbecue at breakfast and brunch is somewhat rare in the restaurant community, whether at “Q” joints or among broader concepts. It’s an observation that Darren Warth, renowned barbecue pitmaster, a recent inductee into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame and the co-owner of Smokey D's BBQ in Des Moines, Iowa, offers some thoughts on why this may be the case. To begin, says Warth, space is at a premium, and the marriage of barbecue and traditional breakfast favorites can be difficult to accommodate. Read on: https://lnkd.in/eWM_63QB

Reports of the demise of avocado toast have been greatly exaggerated. While no longer a novelty, the dish—along with other filling toast builds—still has plenty of runway ahead. Here, Toastique founder and CEO Brianna Keefe shares the seemingly infinite menu possibilities: https://lnkd.in/ex-uUk_b 🖋️ Written by Flavor & The Menu's Digital Managing Editor, Nicole Duncan

Explore four Best of Flavor entries that adopt elements of Japanese cuisine without directly replicating a specific dish. Each result is a fresh creation whose provenance is shared by multiple sources of inspiration and perfected by the chef: https://lnkd.in/eyHDWd82