Guest Column: The Rise of Exploratory Flavor and Presentation
By Amy Forbis, retail executive chef for Hormel Foods
As food and food knowledge continue to evolve and excite, our introduction of food to consumers must adapt to meet this creative and explorative demand. The most innovative presentations are centered around increasingly adventurous flavor combinations.
From tried-and-true combinations, like al pastor and pineapple, to street food fusion like birria ramen, creative and experience-driven food presentations are leaving a memorable impression. Authenticity, innovation and balance provide this experience and come with a few layers to them.
Consumers face a plethora of food-focused social media, food shows, star chefs and an ever-increasing and expansive global food knowledge, all coupled with the desire for convenience and customization. Deciding how to navigate creating this experience requires an equilibrium of authenticity, innovation and balance, along with real-time knowledge of consumer experience and expectations.
Authenticity to product and to consumer experience and expectations
Authenticity stretches from understanding the product’s origins, the storytelling behind it and how a dish or ingredient has evolved to honoring consumer-based authenticity. Staying true to how people actually experience food — how they cook, assemble, and enjoy meals — is crucial to shaping the expectations placed on a menu.
We wouldn’t have seen stores selling out of feta if the viral feta, cherry tomato and pasta bake trend wasn’t simple, customizable, authentic and easy enough for most people to successfully execute at home. It was also a fantastic opportunity for information-sharing and visual storytelling that aligned with people’s real kitchen habits.
Innovation in experience, ingredients, and trend
Innovation with flavor combinations and in food-forward presentations is created in a few ways. As in authenticity, food knowledge, street food and niche but impactful social media trends are leading the way in innovation.
Birria ramen is one standout, but there are many more: Korean and Mexican fusions, playful mash-ups like Cinnamon Toast Crunch Black Label Bacon or even sushi rolls that incorporate salsa, Cheetos and a growing diversity of meats. These mashups bring consumers flavors they didn’t even know they were craving.
Street food is pushing creativity further with bold, memorable flavor combinations. Take Indian pani puri balls, for instance, filled with potatoes, chickpeas and sweet date chutney, then finished with a mint ginger, lemon, masala and cilantro-forward drink. Taken in one gulp, it’s a bright, intense and unforgettable bite.
That sense of exploration translates well to food-forward presentations. Consider a countertop vertical electric spit used for pork al pastor with pepper pastes, or a shawarma station, where thinly sliced meat is carved live for participants and served with accompaniments like tzatziki, cucumber-tomato salad, pita and feta.
These setups transform eating into a memorable, interactive experience at home, at parties and anywhere people enjoy good, creative food.
No presentation is complete without the actual presentation part; creating a brilliant and bright visual display is crucial to the process. Innovation in the way we present a final product may include clever and impactful garnishes that elevate the visual appeal of fresh edible garnishes.
Examples of these garnishes are hot oil pearl “caviar,” bonito flakes and the now ubiquitous hot honey. These approaches elevate the visual eating process of a presentation as well as the final bite.
Balance of menus and flavors
Balance brings everything together in the end and offers epicureans tantalizing new experiences with simple yet thought-provoking food executions. This stabilizes the presentation and keeps it from becoming too overwhelming.
Introducing new, bold ingredients that stretch the taste buds paired with nostalgic flavored combinations that bring you back in for a landing also brings stability to the food experience, and it’s a wonderful way to draw in wary eaters.
Combining authenticity, innovation and balance with expertise, storytelling, moments of surprise and an openness to share knowledge can lead to delightful and memorable adventures in food.
Amy Forbis is the retail executive chef for Hormel Foods, where she draws on her deep culinary expertise to develop inventive, high-impact food concepts. She partners with retailers to create thoughtful solutions and standout dishes that bring flavor, creativity and real culinary value to the shelf.