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Forget valet parking and a wine list the size of the Empire State Building. The hottest restaurant trend of the year, according to a survey of chefs, is decidedly more down to earth.
More than a third of the nearly 2,000 chefs surveyed by the National Restaurant Association picked kitchen gardens as the top trend of 2010, which dovetails nicely with another of the survey's findings. Chefs were also given a list of more than 200 separate items to rank as "Hot Trend," "Yesterday's News," or "Perennial Favorite." "Locally grown produce" ranked number one on that list, with more than 88 percent of chefs identifying it as a "Hot Trend."
And really, you can't get much more locally grown than plucking lettuce from your restaurant's own back yard.
It would seem like this is one trend where New York would be unable to compete, however. After all, the notion of a restaurant garden conjures up images of some bucolic bistro nestled in the rolling hills of Napa Valley.
But some Big Apple restaurateurs are taking this trend to a whole new level -- literally. The Associated Press highlights one of them, John Mooney, whose West Village eatery Bell Book & Candle is scheduled to open this fall. Mooney has outfitted the roof of his restaurant's building with 60 hydroponic towers, which he says will provide the restaurant with 60 percent of its produce.
So what else is hot, according to the NRA survey? After "locally grown produce," the following trends rounded out the top five: "locally sourced meat and seafood," "sustainability," "bite-sized/mini desserts," and "locally produced wine and beer."
If it seems like there is a general theme there, the same can't be said for the hodge-podge of things that chefs most ranked "Yesterday's News," which included "ostrich/emu," "sea urchin," "pre-blended cocktail mixers," "bottled water," and "boxed wine."
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10-07-2010 @7:17AM Barbara said... And the lineup of dimwits they have writing these blurbs continues. I'd dare say any foodie has by now read of top NYC chefs laboring in their rooftop gardens. This is being done on big-city rooftops around the country. One DC restaurant even keeps honeybees on the roof.
Do these "writers" know what research is?
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10-07-2010 @12:13PM bttrthan said... It's a simple matter of economics, Barbara: you want better content, be willing to pony up for it. How much do you think these "dimwits" get paid? I bet it's not nearly a living wage...
10-07-2010 @1:50PM Sue said... bttrthan- Good for you. If Barbara wants Breaking News she should watch CNN.
10-07-2010 @7:47AM Beverly said... Growing their own veggies - does that mean the prices will go down lol
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10-07-2010 @8:03AM John said... This is NEWS?
The Four Seasons' hotel/restaurant here in Philly has been growing produce on their roof for YEARS!
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10-07-2010 @8:31AM Jade said... Nora's restaurant in Wash D.C. has had a veggie and herb garden since the early 80's.. I remember eating there several times when I was attending GWU at the time and seeing part of the garden right in front of the restaurant.. So why is this just making news now?
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10-07-2010 @8:31AM Jack said... This won't last. Congress is passing a law that will make this ilegal, senate bill S510. They already raided one place in California. Look it up. You will not believe what you see. The bill makes it ilegal to grow your own.
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10-07-2010 @12:57PM Laura said... According to what I read, senate bill S510 excludes farms and restaurants. Am I misreading?
Laura
10-07-2010 @1:26PM ines said... No, the bill clearly states " require that each person (excluding farms and restaurants) who manufactures, processes, packs, distributes, receives, holds, or imports an article of food permit inspection of his or her records if the Secretary believes that there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to such food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.
This bill is to protect the safety of our food. Any one who has a problem with this bill either has a filthy environment, cutting corners, or is doing something that would make our food unsafe.
10-07-2010 @5:01PM Kathy said... Laura of course your right. People are spreading so much scare tactics around without checking the authenticity first; and a lot of them are highly educated.
10-07-2010 @10:24AM catgirl said... Would sure like to see smaller portions - especially the starches like fries, bread, pasta, etc. And.....to go along with that, smaller prices would certainly get people to go out a little more often. This might help the trend away from obesity which has infected our country.
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10-07-2010 @11:11AM heycoach said... What's up with "pork belly"? Two years ago, you never saw it on menus, now it's everywhere.
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10-07-2010 @1:26PM dickn2000b said... When I go out to eat it's not the locally grown produce or locally grown meat or fish that interests me. And if that's what has the chef interests, they aren't listening to what the generaL public is looking for. What we want is good food at a reasonable price, delivered to the table by a competent wait staff.
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10-07-2010 @2:45PM Kathy said... It's freshness and easy availability that has chefs growing their own herbs and produce. In the long run it cuts their costs,which should be passed down to the customer.
10-07-2010 @5:07PM James Cintron said... NYers check out The Vinegar Factory in the east 90's been growing much of their own produce on their rooftop gardens for years!! Great homemade breads as well!
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10-07-2010 @5:25PM Michael Schmitt said... It seems that chefs are wanting to be able to sell a story along with their foods. Food is no longer just a product... it's a production...
Here in the US, we have so much food that it has become a commodity; actually it's become a danger because 60% of the population is obese from too much food and not enough exercise.
In order to distinguish "common food" from "chef food", all sorts of marketing terms and stories are added to the food and sold off at a premium. In the northern US, a lot of these trends, such as "locally grown produce" and "sustainable" don't go hand in hand. I'd like to see a nice sustainable and locally grown salad in Aspen in the dead of winter... to go along with the local seafood they serve...
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10-13-2010 @2:11PM Patrick said... Everyone that thinks that growing your own veggies saves money hasn't thought this out. Number one thing is the equipment cost for hydroponics set up or the soil and fertilizers, Lights if its indoors. Then the labor of the entire ordeal which is dependent on size and your crop. Next thing you face is the simple fact not all chefs have green thumbs so crops may not yield enough to meet demands of your restaurant, moreover the recover time of each crop after a harvest must be considered.
The restaurant grown produce might appear on the surface to be a better quality, but I doubt a chef has the time and the skill to grow a more superior product then a local farmer. That farmer knows the ins and outs of the products he grows and dedicates his entire business to growing perfect crops.
For all its worth sustainability is a nice THEORY but reality can paint a different picture. Compare this entire operation to a simple produce order a restaurant can make I think it speaks for itself.
"A jack of all trades is a master on none"
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