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GOURMET NEWS DECEMBER 2014 www.gourmetnews.com EDITORIAL 1 0 As another year comes to a close, the Internet is once again on fire with trendspotters attempting to identify what will dom- inate the pop culture scene in the year ahead. The world of specialty food is a particularly fertile landscape for those editing infographics and "Top 10" lists of what-to-watch-for in the next year. One such list currently circulating predicts smoked and fermented foods to be among the most popular in 2015. An- other predicts that consumers this year will be seeking locally sourced grains, so- called "ugly" heirloom fruits and vegeta- bles, matcha green tea and coconut sugar. Yet another list groups together the un- likely cohort of kaniwa (an ancient grain quinoa relative), cauliflower, seaweed and iced cream sandwiches as the hot foods for 2015. It seems that everyone is taking turns trying to guess what con- sumers are going to be clamoring for in the next 12 months. So often, it seems that those tasked with identifying trends are actually work- ing to create those trends rather than pointing out what is truly popular at the moment. This is certainly the case when it comes to prognosticating about the specialty food world. Cauliflower, for ex- ample, may have shown up on a few high end restaurant menus in 2014, but that does not necessarily mean that it is sud- denly an ingredient-of-choice for the av- erage home cook. And kimchi may be popular in certain urban areas, but is the rest of the country suddenly going to start putting the fermented edible on their hot dogs? Still, by identifying these foods as increasingly popular, it is likely that more American consumers are apt to seek out what they presume to be the hot food of the moment, and a new trend is created. In addition, many of the foods that get identified each year as "trendsetting" are not necessarily anything new, but rather products that have been embraced by consumers for years. Case in point: pop- corn. In the past year, a number of spe- cialty food oracles have pointed to the puffed grain as a top new snacking trend. But has there ever been a time when pop- corn was not popular? According to Vic- toria Ho, Creative Director and co-owner of Popsalot Gourmet Popcorn, the answer is no. "Every year since Popsalot was born, we hear popcorn is the new trend. That's eight years of trending," she said. Without a doubt, the specialty food in- dustry has considerable interest in predict- ing what foods will take the country by storm in the next 12 months. There is a great deal of profit to be had in coming up with the next Cronut or sriracha or co- conut water. And by carefully watching what is popping up on restaurant menus or on the shelves of gourmet stores, it can be possible to be a step ahead of the game in predicting what is destined to be popular. However, real trendspotting takes serious research and careful consumer monitoring – not just intuition. So what should you look out for in the world of specialty food in the coming year? Only time will tell. Personally, I choose to leave the fortune telling to the trendspotters and focus more on report- ing the news of what is happening in food right now. GN — Lucas Witman, Editor 520.721.1300 lucas_w@oser.com WWW.GOURMETNEWS.COM PUBLISHER Lee M. Oser ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Kim Forrester Jules Denton jules_d@oser.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lorrie Baumann lorrie_b@oser.com EDITOR Lucas Witman editor@oser.com ASSOCIATE EDITORS David Bernard Amber Gallegos GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Yasmine Brown Vicky Glover ACCOUNT MANAGERS Jules Denton Lynn Hilton CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER Caitlyn Roach caitlyn_r@oser.com 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 ® OSER COMMUNICATIONS GROUP 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. Contributors are responsible for proper release of proprietary classified information. ©2014 by Oser Communications Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher, is expressly prohibited. Back issues, when avail- able, cost $7 each within the past 12 months, $12 each prior to the past 12 months. Back or- ders must be paid in advance either by check or charged to American Express, Visa, or Master Card. Gourmet News is distributed without charge in North America to qualified profession- als in the retail and distribution channels of the specialty foods and hardgoods trade; paid sub- scriptions cost $65 annually to the U.S. and Canada. All foreign subscriptions cost $150 an- nually to cover air delivery. All payments must be made in U.S. funds and drawn on a U.S. bank. For subscriber services, including subscription information, call 520.721.1300. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gourmet News, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715. FROM THE EDITOR

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