Traditionally at this time of the year you get a number of articles and bits and pieces popping up in the media about food trends for the year to come. I thought I would have a crack at my own predictions! Here goes…
Stuff Yep, that’s right, stuff will be happening between now and 2016! If you follow popular media, you will note that all manner of things and food are happening or ‘about to happen’, and that consistently the food fads journo’s predict are last year’s successes from overseas.
Why are we still cowering behind the rest of the world when it comes to popular media? Just because soft-serve is hip in Brooklyn doesn’t mean we need a tonne of articles about how soft-serve is going to be the next ‘big thing’ in Australia. Do we really need to be worried that America already has all sorts of awesome, grown-up, sophisticated soft serve flavours like ‘conceit’ and ‘social capital’. I don’t think so.
Why don’t we march to the beat of our own drum?
If you do want to follow the words of some free thinkers check out these guys.
⁃ Journo: Anthony Huckstep is a food critic and journo; the fact he works for King Rupert’s paper should not be held against him. He knows heaps and has a great sense of what’s good. He came from ‘out west’ and has since battled the status quo in order.
⁃ Food Blogger: Jess Ho is smart and articulate and loves a curse or two! Although she is a‘gun for hire’ when it comes to promoting the odd restaurant and event, she does so with refreshing bluntness and transparency.
⁃ Chef: Duncan Weldgemoed in Adelaide has a refreshing approach to food and uses his African roots to communicate it. He is skilled and focused, but more importantly determined not to loose focus on the fun of his craft.
⁃ Producer: Michael Klaussen is not even a baker yet his approach to bread and the very stuff of life is bloody beautiful and refreshing. He has expansive knowledge of land and grain, and is not afraid to use it!
⁃ Farmer. Pia Winberg is a seaweed farmer. Don’t let that she has the brain the size of a planet and is widely regarded as a world leader put you off! She is still just a humble farmer of food that will make the world a better place.
What all of these people have in common is that they are at the coal face of innovation in their given disciplines. More importantly, they don’t care what the rest of the world is doing because they are leading the way here. They know that everyone else will follow.
Think well
Jared
