Top Predicted Food Trends 2022

We are constantly being inspired by our world to keep things fresh and exciting for our clients. This past Thanksgiving Maeme traveled (or we like to say ate) her way through New York City. Callie and Lucy Mae visited family in native El Paso. There were many great feasts - Thanksgiving Dinner, Middle Eastern night and of course a bit of Tex-Mex. When in Texas… While traveling we love to see what’s hot, what’s trending and what’s yummy.

Whole Foods just posted their list for 2022. Here it is!

1. Ultraurban Farming

Innovation in indoor farming has ballooned, from hydroponics and aquaponics and even fresh produce grown by robots. Producers are finding new, boundary-pushing ways to grow hyper-local crops and maximize efficiency.

2. You Do Yuzu

Yuzu — a lesser-known citrus mainly cultivated in Japan, Korea and China — is taking the culinary world by storm. Tart and sour, this tangerine-sized fruit is popping up in vinaigrettes, hard seltzers, mayos and more. In the restaurant scene, chefs are using its lime-lemon-grapefruit flavor to accent their soups, veggies, noodles and fish.

3. Reducetarianism

Are you a plant-curious eater who isn’t ready to give up meat entirely? Try reducetarianism — reducing consumption of meat, dairy and eggs without cutting them out completely. When animal products are on the menu, reducetarians make them count, opting for premium grass-fed meat and pasture-raised eggs.

4. Hibiscus Is Happening

Hibiscus has a long and delicious history in the world of teas, and customers love it for its vitamin C content. Now, producers are harnessing its sweet, tart flavor in the form of fruit spreads, yogurts and beyond. Of course, beverage makers are keeping up, leaning on hibiscus to craft delicious drinks that adopt its signature hot-pink hue.

5. Buzz-Less Spirits

The dialed-down spirits category experienced record growth in 2021. With millennials and Gen Z-ers dabbling in “drysolation” during the pandemic, we don’t see the sober-curious mindset going away anytime soon. Enter a new lineup of drinks that provide the taste and sophistication of cocktails without the buzz. If you want to shake things up, there are elegant mocktail options to explore.

6. Grains That Give Back

Grocery grains are refocusing on the environment in 2022. We’re talking grains grown via agriculture practices and farming processes that help address soil health.

7. Seize the Sunflower Seed

After fueling grand slams and double plays for years, sunflower seeds are branching out of the ballpark and sliding into crackers, ice creams and creamy cheeses. Delivering protein and unsaturated fats, these mighty little seeds are transforming the 21st century snack game. Parents, take note — many sunflower seed–based products are made without nuts, which means allergy-friendly school snacks (just make sure to always check the label).

8. Moringa’s* Moment

Often called the “miracle tree,” moringa is traditionally used as an herbal remedy in India, Africa and beyond. Moringa leaves have plenty of nutrients, and these fast-growing, drought-resistant trees have been used as a source of food to fight malnutrition in certain parts of the world. Gaining steam in the U.S. as matcha’s latest alternative, it can be found in powder form and added to make magic in smoothies, sauces and baked goods. It’s also showing up in unexpected products like frozen desserts, protein bars and packaged grain blends.

9. Functional Fizz

Today, bubbly beverages are doing double duty. That’s right, people are looking for sparkling drinks that not only taste great but also offer ingredients that balance out the sweetness. We’re talking soda with probiotics and fizzy tonics with added prebiotics, botanicals and more. Fruity flavors. Unconventional ingredients. Get more from your bubbly drinks.

10. Turmeric Takes Off

Turmeric, aka “the golden spice,” has been used for centuries in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine, and has become popular in the U.S. as a dietary supplement. While golden milk lattes and turmeric supplements are nothing new, the spice is taking root as an ingredient in packaged foods like cereals, sauerkrauts and even plant-based ice cream sandwiches. People want to have their turmeric and eat it too.

Herbal Sugars for Baking

We love our herbs and use green as many times as we can in almost every recipe. Fresh herbs add flavor to any dish. If your herbs are potted, bring them inside when outdoor gardening season comes to an end. We dehydrate ours and make spice blends. (You will see the tiny jars sitting pretty in our pantry for sale at the bistro.)

Riley our resident baker sometimes referred to as “sugar daddy” just made something fabulous. A mint chocolate chip cookie. Not a mint flavored cookie, a made-from-scratch cookie with real mint. How did he do it? The key is mixing the fresh mint in when you cream the butter and sugar. (See photo)

High-end herbal salts have become a thing, so why not herbal sugars? Here are five herbs that can really add an extra boost to drinks, dishes and deserts.

1. Lavender buds

2. Peppermint leaf

3. Rose hips

4. Clove buds

5. Spearmint leaf

Choose from whole cane sugar, coconut sugar, turbinado sugar, brown sugar or granulated sugar when making your herbal sugar. They can be made with fresh or dried herbs. Store in an airtight container for up to two months. When substituting herbal sugar in baking, use the same amount of sugar the recipe calls for.

Enjoy!

Reinventing the Meal

Top caterers Callie and Maeme Rasberry focus on cooking, eating sustainably

Emily Jones, Idaho Mountain Express

June 23, 2021

It’s the end of slack season, a Thursday morning in late May, but there’s no sense of slacking off at Rasberrys Catering & Bistro in Ketchum.

Restaurant staff hurry in and out of the 411 Building on Fifth Street with large paper bags. In the building’s lower level, Callie Rasberry is busy fixing display jars of cookies and brownies behind the deli case; her sister, Maeme, is in the kitchen, checking on the delivery status of locally grown cucumbers, radishes and eggs.

“I haven’t been in here since you guys redid your space. It looks amazing,” one customer remarks.

Now in their 16th year of operation, the Rasberry sisters continue to chart new culinary territory while maintaining their signature Tex-Mex sandwiches, salads and soups.

“We’re always experimenting. There are just so many fun ideas to work with and new things to try in addition to our staples,” Maeme said.

Those staples include enchiladas, chile rellenos, street tacos made with homemade corn tortillas and spicy chicken posole, a traditional green-chile Mexican soup. Most sought after, though, is Rasberrys’ “Ol’ El Paso” sandwich with shredded pork, house-made pepper jack cheese and guacamole on a homemade ciabatta roll.

The sandwich recalls the sisters’ roots in the border city of El Paso, where they grew up tending to vegetables on the family farm and attending Montessori school just across the border in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

“We like to say we’re from El Paso, Mexico,” Maeme joked. “We grew up speaking English and Spanish, eating Mexican cuisine.”

“And we still do every day,” Callie added.

The chefs—perhaps the valley’s best-known identical twins—have never been far apart. Both worked in restaurants in San Antonio in college, received business degrees at the University of Texas-San Antonio and moved to the Wood River Valley around 1999. The original plan was to help out their aunt, Annette Frehling, at her clothing store—Sisters in downtown Ketchum—for one month, Maeme recalled, but that month quickly turned into a year. In 2005, after various stints working at restaurants in the valley, she and Callie opened Rasberrys in its present location.

Walking into the restaurant’s basement dining room for the first time is a bit like stumbling down the rabbit hole into an Alice in Wonderland movie set. Black-and-white square tiles and a mirrored wall evoke a retro ’50s-diner feel, while wooden antiques and fresh-cut flowers add country-farmhouse vibes. Vintage chandeliers, French bistro tables and bright cerulean-and-coral accents further conjure up a distant, Mediterranean feel.

The Rasberrys began renovating their dining area last spring, adding counter space and more seating to meet increased lunchtime demand.

On many days, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes like cauliflower tabbouleh and eggplant moussaka fill their ever-changing display case. (Today, vegetarian gyros served with green tomato chutney are front and center.) The sisters also lean on Asian influences, churning out Indian-style samosas, Vietnamese bánh mì ramen bowls and black sesame mochi cakes. Twists on American classics, like Maeme’s ready-to-go barbecue chicken pot pie, are another common sight.

“We wanted the new space to allow people to come in and grab drinks and desserts, small prepared items to take to symphony concerts this summer,” Maeme said.

Both chefs attribute their success as “best” caterer for the fifth year in a row to their innate understanding of the farm-to-table path. To ensure peak flavor, they purchase the same ingredients from a broad selection of local vendors. Daily specials depend on what produce is coming in and what’s in season—“Basically, it’s whatever farmers bring in,” Maeme says.

Few things are more important to the Rasberry sisters than cooking and eating sustainably, and it follows that nearly everything on their menu can be traced back to nearby farms. The meat used in today’s pork tenderloin kabobs and Italian-sausage lasagna specials? From Agrarian Harvest in Buhl and Double Springs Ranch near Challis. Salad greens, tomatoes, and beans? From Bellevue’s Squash Blossom Farm and Lookout Farm, Itty Bitty Farms in Carey and Kasota Hydroponics in Hazelton.

The list goes on. Dairy comes in from Picabo Desert Farms and Old Almo Creamery in Almo; eggs from Harmony Hens near Twin Falls; flour from Hillside Grain in Bellevue; fruits and berries from Deer Creek Berry Farm or Kings Crown Organics in Elmore County; honey from Five Bee Hives in Hailey; and fresh herbs from the Rasberrys’ own gardens.

The goal, Maeme says, is to get the biggest nutritional bang for the buck.

“We like to do a lot of veggie-forward items so people can get more whole foods in their diet while still feeling like they’re getting meat—lots of whole lentils, oats, rice, carrots and herbs, so you’re not just concentrating on starchy fillers,” she said.

This summer, Callie, Maeme and their extended families will go to Deer Creek Berry Farm in Pine, Idaho—as always—to pick over 30 pounds of blueberries. You might just find that blueberry juice in Rasberrys’ homemade sodas or Maeme’s small-batch ice cream.

In 2020, the business lost over 90% of its catering events due to COVID-19, Callie noted.

“I remember going through the calendar with a red marker and X-ing out each date,” she said. “Like, ‘OK, this one got corona-ed. And that one, too.’”

With the pandemic nearing its end, though, the Rasberrys are now looking at a busy summer lineup of weddings and private dinner parties.

“We customize each menu specifically for each client, for their individual needs and wants. We don’t have set menus where you say, ‘I want No. 1,’” Maeme said. “It’s whatever catches your eye.”