Stay Ahead of the Culinary Curve

With the fast pace of innovation in the kitchen, staying on top of F&B trends can keep meeting planners on their toes. Here are three with staying power.

Fermented foods and drinks
Two words once never uttered in polite dining circles are now at the heart of the healthy eating conversation: digestion and the F word (no, not that F word). Fermentation—the process behind kimchi, kombucha, miso and sauerkraut, among other foods and drinks—enables living, good bacteria to thrive, and those probiotics are crucial to gut health. A healthy gut, in turn, helps control weight, blood sugar and cholesterol while providing a powerful boost to the immune system.

Chefs are responding by introducing sourced and house-made fermented fare in restaurant and catering menus, elevating dishes from burgers to soups to stir-fries with an earthy and ever-so-trendy umami. Meeting-goers at Turning Stone Resort Casino will find it in specialties from a spicy Korean pork taco with Napa kimchi to an Asian noodle bowl with ponzu, chili paste, sesame oil and fish sauce.

Sustainable foods and practices
Sustainability is an overarching theme that touches every aspect of a kitchen operation. It begins with sourcing foods locally and tipping the menu balance in favor of plant-based dishes with animal proteins in a supporting role. It means reducing food waste through a resourceful approach to menu planning that uses as much of the plant and animal as possible (think carrot-top pesto and sweetbread ragu).

A taste of the neighborhood
Meeting venues today should strive to deliver a sense of place that lets attendees get a feel for the destination even if they never set foot outside the function space. F&B can play a large part in creating that local experience by offering dishes that reflect the flavors and history of the region.

Turning Stone Resort Casino’s Upstate New York setting has been home to a thriving Italian-American community since the late 1800s. The southern Italian immigrants who settled here brought with them a rich culinary culture that has evolved over the years into one that’s unique to the region. Today, meeting-goers can get a taste of that history in local specialties like Utica greens and chicken riggies, courtesy of our chefs behind Turning Stone’s Pino Bianco restaurant.

For more great ideas to make your meetings stand out, email our meeting specialists at [email protected] or call 315.361.7910, and be sure to follow us @TURNINGSTONE!

Book a meeting by 3/1/20, consumed by 12/30/20 to receive up to a 12% discount*