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Throughout history, as peoples have trekked across borders, navigated oceans and visited distant lands, their travels have yielded significant im- pacts on global food cul- tures. It was not until Europeans first landed in the New World that the tomato found its way into Italian dishes, for example. Among other things, global explorations have been responsi- ble for the dissemination of corn, pota- toes, spices, peanuts and tropical fruits throughout world cuisines. Explorers, traders, tourists, soldiers and statesmen have all had significant roles to play in shaping the movement of foods and fla- vors around the planet. Today, the world is closer than ever be- fore, with people traveling between con- tinents at a moment's notice and communicating with distant peoples in an instant. As a result, cuisine today is globalized in a way never before seen. It has become almost impossible to pin- point many specific regional cuisines, as Italian cooks are choosing to utilize Ko- rean kimchi and fish sauce along with their extra virgin olive oil and balsamico di Modena, and home cooks in Milwau- kee are experimenting with South Amer- ican ancient grains. For those in the food industry looking to predict the next big thing, the global- ization of world cuisine has yielded a significant complication. Whereas it might have been somewhat easier to pre- dict that 19th century Chinese immigra- tion to the United States would result in more Asian dishes on U.S. dinner tables or that soldiers returning from the Viet- nam War would return with a taste for that nation's dishes, today it is almost impossible to predict which interna- tional cuisine is likely to emerge on the scene as a major draw for U.S. eaters. In her cover story on globalization and contemporary cuisine, Lorrie Baumann speaks with a number of prominent American chefs and asks them what they anticipate to be the next big exotic food trend. Mediterranean cuisine, long a fa- vorite among U.S. consumers hungry for international flavors may be poised to take a backseat to Oaxacan, Malaysian, Moroccan or Polish foods and flavors. Perhaps it is North African harissa or Yemeni skhug that is destined to replace pico de gallo as Americans' condiment of choice. Only time will tell. Although it may be a challenge to pre- dict which specific international cuisine Americans will turn to next, some ex- perts argue that it might make more sense to think about the flavors that are most in demand among consumers today—spicy, for example—and consider new ways that shoppers might be able to incorporate those beloved flavors into their current cooking and dining reper- toires. After all, in the words of Staffan Terje, Chef and owner of San Francisco's Perbacco restaurant: good flavors never go out of style. In short, consumers do not necessarily set out to conquer new culinary territory, but rather they build on the flavors they love and add to the cuisines they already know. If you have an exotic new product that you think might be up the alley of today's consumers, reach out to me and let me know about it. I'd love to share it with the readers of Gourmet News. Who knows? It might just be the next quinoa or açai berry! GN — Lucas Witman, Editor 520.721.1300 lucas_w@oser.com GOURMET NEWS MAY 2014 www.gourmetnews.com EDITORIAL 1 0 WWW.GOURMETNEWS.COM PUBLISHER Lee M. Oser ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Paul Harris paul_h@oser.com Jeff Rosano jeff_r@oser.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lorrie Baumann lorrie_b@oser.com EDITOR Lucas Witman editor@oser.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Zach Calvello GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Yasmine Brown Vicky Glover ACCOUNT MANAGERS Jules Denton Ryan Harter Lynn Hilton CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Product Wrap-up & Classified Sales Tara Neal tara_n@oser.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Jamie Green jamie_g@oser.com PUBLISHING OFFICE 1877 N. Kolb Road P.O. Box 1056 Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300 Fax 520.721.6300 SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Gourmet News P.O. Box 30520 Tucson, AZ 85751 520.721.1300 G OURMET N EWS ® PRESIDENT Lee M. Oser MEMBER OF: Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ, and ad- ditional mailing office. Gourmet News (ISSN 1052-4630) is published monthly by Oser Com- munications Group, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715; 520.721.1300. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited mate- rial or prices quoted in newspaper. 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