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P H OTO C R E D IT: J E S S E B E R TR A N D

A SPECIAL INTEREST SECTION BY MEDIAPLANET

Future of Food

Chef Roger Mooking on Finding Inspiration & the Future of Food We chatted with Chef Roger Mooking, judge on Food Network Canada’s Wall of Chefs and Fire Masters, about what inspires his cooking, his latest initiatives, and where he sees the future of food headed. How has culture played a role in your culinary journey? Culture, history, art, and necessity have informed my culinary journey. Everything is connected to food, and my curiosities are vast. My family is extremely diverse culturally and my travels and exploration have continued to inform my cooking style. What's an absolute "no-no" in one culture is a master technique in another. I'm always learning, exploring, and sharing.

Where do you see the future of food headed?

Restaurants’ Return to Normal Is on the Horizon — but Key Challenges Still Exist Restaurants Canada shares insights on trends and challenges in Canada’s restaurant industry and what makes Canada this summer’s unique culinary destination. What key trends are shaping Canada’s restaurant industry? Off-premise dining is here to stay. With restaurants heading back to pre-pandemic norms, guests are returning to restaurant dining rooms, but the use of off-premise dining is expected to remain strong in the coming years as the convenience has become a convention in the way we dine. Virtual kitchens continue to grow in popularity. While this was a trend we initially saw gaining popularity before 2020, the pandemic led businesses to reconsider moving to a smaller footprint to offset costs and use space more effectively. Green packaging is becoming a must-have. The move towards greener ways of business has been on the rise for many years, but new environmental Extended Producer Responsibility and Single-Use and Takeaway Item regulations aimed at reducing plastic takeout packaging are applying pressure to the shift.

As we emerge from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, what challenges does the foodservice industry still face? Aside from the obvious being debt, with approximately 8 out of 10 restaurants having taken on debt due to COVID-19 and at least two-thirds of these businesses needing at least a year and a half to recover, we asked our members what they see as the top challenges currently facing the foodservice industry; food costs rank first (94 percent); labour costs were next at 80 percent; followed by labour shortages (75 percent), with debt placing seventh (50 percent) right behind utility costs. Adding further fuel to the fire as businesses try to rebuild after two years of lockdowns and restrictions — inflation is skyrocketing. In terms of food prices, consumers paid significantly more

for proteins and other food products at retail stores in March 2022 compared to March 2021. As a result, restaurant operators are expecting to raise their menu prices by an average of 7.1 percent over the next 12 months to offset costs. Even during the best of times, the average foodservice establishment keeps less than 50 cents of every $10 spent on a restaurant meal, the rest goes back into the economy.

For international travellers or Canadians looking to explore their own backyard this summer, what makes Canada a unique culinary destination?

Firstly, convenience will continue to be of growing interest in the food and beverage space, especially with both restaurants and consumers finding new ways of engaging with one another in new and meaningful ways. Also, I believe we'll return to hyper-localized ingredients in the short- to mid-term, as the global climate crisis devastates farming and global supply chains continue to be a growing issue, not to mention unprecedented inflation. We’ll return to basics and we’ll be seeing a lot of home-grown gardening and bartering for food resources. Also, look to carbon-neutral farming that’s vertical and greenhouse-based. Simultaneously, the global population will continue to mix and diversity will drive new food ways, culinary traditions, and dishes and increase demand for access to global ingredients. Strap on your seatbelts, because it's going to be a wild one.

Can you tell us about your meal kits

We live in a country truly unique to any other, in that we have so being released this summer? many different cultures coming together to bring our society to life, I’m working with Chefdrop to deliver each culture bringing with it a unique style of cooking, unparalleled summer-friendly dishes directly to your flavours and ingredients, and dishes that tell stories from around doorstep, any where across Southern the world. Many creative world-class chefs also call Canada home, Ontario. These recipes are close to my creating new menu items fusing various ethnic cuisines heart, drawing from my adventures into creative new ones. We're also known for our and my heritage. This new partnership will give people access to regionally influenced foods like local seafood, beef, cheeses, wild game and traditional some of my favourite dishes Read the full articles Indigenous dishes, which tell the story of right at home. I'm excited at innovatingcanada.ca. to bring new offerings to our land’s original heritage and culture. All of these different cuisines the platform, to Mooking coming together with some of the best fans, and to anyone who locally grown food and ingredients cares to go on the advenin the world, along with exceptional ture with us! service, make for an experience any traveller, both international, and domestic will savour.

Publisher: Sierra Nardella Senior Strategic Account Manager: Anna Sibiga Strategic Account Director: Jessica Golyatov Country Manager: Nina Theodorlis Content & Production Manager: Raymond Fan Designer: Kylie Armishaw Content & Web Editor: Karthik Talwar Content Strategist: Emma Yordanov All images are from Getty Images unless otherwise credited. This section was created by Mediaplanet and did not involve The National Post or its editorial departments. Send all inquiries to ca.editorial@mediaplanet.com.

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