We called it “Restaurant Week in Wooster” though it was an unofficial reference with little meaning beyond our kitchen door. We invited a group of folks to visit us in Ohio — a cross-section of individual restaurateurs, corporate chefs and academia. We wanted to pick their brains and teach ’em a thing or two about working with premium beef.
They came to talk shop. We took their expertise to heart, listening in as the made observations about the world of fine dining. We took notes when they exchanged ideas and offered suggestions. And then there was the most exciting part of the conversation. These chefs — experts in the culinary world — identified what they believe will be the top trends of 2013. I won’t reveal them here, now, but I will say they identified food trends that have us looking to the past, perfecting our craft, and broadening our horizons just a bit.
We’ll bring you each of the 13 trends for 2013 in the coming weeks and months, don’t worry. At the moment, we’re working on some recipes and cooking techniques you can use in your own kitchens. So stay tuned!
Our guest chefs spent some time in the meat shop with Dr. Phil Bass, meat scientist, who showed them how to fabricate a carcass. Simply put, they cut a side of beef into manageable cuts like steaks and roasts.
Chef trends panelists included (left to right):
- Jorge de la Torre of Johnson & Wales, Denver
- John Doherty, consulting chef, New York City
- Cedric Tovar of Rosemary’s and Bobo in New York City
- Cindy Hutson of Ortanique, Coral Gables, Fla., Grand Cayman & Harbour Island
- Ric Rosser, Saltgrass Steak House (57 locations in Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado
- Brad Barnes, CMC, Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y.
- Craig Deihl of Cypress in Charleston, S.C.
- Rory Schepisi, Boothill Vega in Vega, Texas
For more scenes from “restaurant week” and shots of guest chefs, visit us on facebook and view the Chef Trends photo album. And hey, one of these days we’ll tell you why 2013 may go down in culinary history as the year of the strip. I know. It’s not nice to tease.
