{"id":25389,"date":"2022-11-08T16:11:31","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T21:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-gordon-food-service-canada.pantheonsite.io\/ideas\/plant-based-foods-best-friend-culinary-creativity\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T09:56:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T13:56:06","slug":"plant-based-foods-best-friend-culinary-creativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.ca\/en-ca\/ideas\/plant-based-foods-best-friend-culinary-creativity\/","title":{"rendered":"Plant-based food\u2019s best friend? Culinary creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flavourful, chef-inspired dishes are key to winning with plant-based foods.<\/h2>\n

Restaurant operators seeking cuisine that\u2019s ripe for growth should look no further than plant-based foods.<\/p>\n

A Food Institute survey<\/a> showed that 40% of consumers surveyed in March 2022 purchased plant-based protein and\/or dairy alternatives within the past six months, with health cited as the motivating factor.<\/p>\n

Of those people, half said it\u2019s important for restaurants to offer plant-based options, but only about 20% choose those options when dining out. This suggests potential for growth and reminds operators to enhance the appeal of plant-based dishes, according to Maria Dalziel, a Gordon Food Service Product Specialist in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

Find an audience<\/h3>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s about having choices available,\u201d Dalziel said. \u201cPeople will jump on it if the menu is flexible and people can customize the dish they want to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

One way to achieve that, she says, is to lean into vegetables for the sake of vegetables.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have worked with restaurants to help them create their own versions of vegan and vegetarian items that aren\u2019t created in a lab or heavily processed,\u201d she explained. \u201cFor example, compressed watermelon radish can simulate tuna poke.<\/p>\n

Corn ribs were another of her creations. She cut a corn cob into eighths, marinated it and grilled it the same as a rack of ribs. The result was a similar mouthfeel and texture from a product that was purely seasoned vegetables.<\/p>\n

The \u201cPlant-Forward by the Numbers\u201d report, conducted in 2021 by Datassential and the Culinary Institute of America, advised operators to look beyond meatless burgers and meat substitutes to see plant-forward eating as ripe for growth and chef-inspired creations. Among the report\u2019s findings about consumers:\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The take-away: Consumers reducing meat consumption are more likely to fall in the flexitarian middle ground than choose vegetarian or vegan diets.<\/p>\n

Ingredients have growth potential<\/h3>\n

One avenue could be using plant-based chicken tenders or seafood in a taco or salad, Texas-based Culinary Specialist Matt Dummar suggests.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt goes way beyond burger patties \u2026 plant based pizza toppings are definitely up and coming, and I\u2019m not talking about vegan pizza, but using a plant-based sausage or pepperoni as an ingredient,\u201d he said. \u201cAlso pasta dishes, with plant based-shrimp and sausage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ingredients are one way to add plant-based culinary options, Dalziel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere seems to be a big focus on baking solutions. Substitutes for eggs and butter in baking as well as yogurts,\u201d she said. \u201cThe plant-based milk segment is going strong, with oat milks, coconut milk and soy milk. I just heard potato milk is a new item. I won\u2019t knock it until I try it.\u201d<\/p>\n

To increase dining acceptance, Dalziel says it\u2019s not necessary to call out vegan or vegetarian foods. She points to MeeT, a Vancouver restaurant that added mushroom calamari to the menu.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just mushrooms that are battered and fried, but it\u2019s done in a way that mimics calamari,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople love the flavour and texture, not the fact that it\u2019s made with plant-based ingredients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plant-based skews young<\/h3>\n

Changing the eating habits of older consumers is hard, Dummar says, so ingredients are a gateway to success.<\/p>\n

The real plant-based growth potential lies with health-conscious and younger consumers. A 2021 YPulse survey found 47% of 13- to 39-year-olds regularly eat or drink plant-based foods and beverages. The same survey showed 23% of consumers not eating plant-based foods are curious.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a Millennial parent with a 9-year-old son,\u201d Dummar said. \u201cHe watches videos on YouTube about cooking and the history of plant-based foods. He\u2019s more excited to try them than I am. They get the \u201cwhy\u201d of these products.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Flavourful, chef-inspired dishes are key to winning with plant-based foods. Restaurant operators seeking cuisine that\u2019s ripe for growth should look no further than plant-based foods. A Food Institute survey showed that 40% of consumers surveyed in March 2022 purchased plant-based protein and\/or dairy alternatives within the past six months, with health cited as the motivating […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":26675,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,68,123,112,111,113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-culinary-ideas","category-hotels-hospitality","category-restaurant-bars","category-healthcare","category-university"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPlant-based food\u2019s best friend? 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