(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
I tend to follow food news a good bit. I enjoy seeing the trends, whether it’s in food programming on TV or the latest trends coming out of food companies and the restaurant industry.
The big political fight over the last week has been the COVID-19 relief bill, the first iteration of which included a federal minimum wage increase. Typically, minimum wage increases are divisive because they reignite the age-old fight between businesses and workers. The current federal minimum wage is not high enough to be a “livable wage,” and that is a point that Democrats and labor groups harp on constantly. Pro-business groups point out that raising wages forces increased costs on business owners, which can ultimately hurt jobs and force business closures.
Whether you love or hate February 14, it is a day of bright colors and spontaneous desserts in the middle of a month of old, gray snow. For that reason alone, it has the potential to be something to look forward to even if just to break up the monotony of a Minnesota winter.
Everyone should be able to enjoy what Valentine’s Day has to offer, whether they’re in a relationship or not. Really: what about all the people are single by choice? Or those who are heartbroken? To quote the ever-so-wise Dr. Akopian from the show
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “Love doesn’t have to be a person. It can be a passion.” (You know, like food.) So celebrate love in whatever form you have it: self-love, familial, friendship, or otherwise. Brush off those societal expectations and order yourself something special.
5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities this week Our food writers highlight the favorites of their weekly dining experiences. January 29, 2021 11:21am Text size Copy shortlink:
Cinnamon bread is not what I went into Nelson s Meats for, as you might guess. But this Minnetonka Boulevard strip-mall shop, half of which is taken up by a butcher case, is also a bakery and has been since it was founded in 1965 (it moved to St. Louis Park from Hopkins in 2014). And the cinnamon bread I added at the last minute turned out to be one of their signature baked goods.
It seems absurd to wonder if kalettes will be next year s hit vegetable.
After 2020 s endless tribulations, truer words were never spoken, at least when it comes to the year-end sport that is food-trend forecasting.
Rather than engaging in a trite rhapsody on the virtues of kale sprouts, Baum + Whiteman takes its 2021 report in a deeper direction. This year, the New York City-based food and restaurant consulting firm has opted to focus on big-picture issues, even choosing to end with a solemn and much-appreciated pledge: We promise not to use the words New Normal.
Trend forecasts, often disseminated by food and beverage consultants, supermarkets, hotel chains and publications, are generally rooted in consumer behavioral research and/or sales data. Their conclusions aren t exactly gospel, although when viewed through the prism of hindsight, some prove to ring true. If nothing else, they serve as an entertaining glimpse into what we might be consuming during the next 12 mon
Wages will increase. Menu prices will rise. No-tipping formats will materialize. Robots will streamline kitchen operations. Star chefs will gravitate away from long-term leases into more flexible pop-ups.