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Kelly Hensel

January 1, 2014

Chef Alison Mountford: Bringing the Restaurant Home
Chef Alison Mountford started her culinary career as a personal chef, but she soon realized she wanted to be able to offer her restaurant-quality meals to a bigger audience. And so San Francisco, Calif.-based Square Meals was started in 2006 with the goal of elevating takeaway food from greasy containers and unhealthy calorie splurges to wholesome meals and fresh, tasty dishes you can feel good about eating. And with the ability to deliver the cooked meals to your door throughout the week, Chef Mountford offers a gourmet edge to the big box meal delivery services such as Nutrisystem and Seattle Sutton’s. Read the interview with Chef Mountford to find out where she sees this trend headed and to get her Turkey Meatloaf recipe—a healthy way to kick off 2014.

2014 Restaurant & Flavor Trends
It’s a new year and with that comes a slew of trend reports clueing you in on what to expect for the food industry in 2014. According to the National Restaurant Association’s “What Hot” culinary forecast of menu trends, locally-sourced food and local produce will continue to remain front and center at restaurants this year. McCormick’s Flavor Forecast 2014: 125th Anniversary Edition reports that chilies, such as Aji Amarillo—a hot Peruvian yellow chile with bold, fruity flavor—will be a popular trend in foods this year. In case you missed any of the top trend reports released recently, here are some of them, so you know what to expect in the food sector this year:

Bell predicts 2014 top flavor trends
Mintel announces five U.S. foodservice trends for 2014
Restaurant industry to improve, thrive in 2014
McCormick announces top flavors, food trends for 2014

Face-to-Face: Meet Lauren Jackson
In this month’s Face-to-Face series, we will be introducing you to Lauren Jackson, Research Food Technologist/FDA Team Leader, Food Chemistry and Nutrition at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. An expert in natural toxins and chemical contamination, Jackson received her Bachelor’s degree in food science and technology from Cornell University and then went on to receive her Masters and Ph.D. in the subject from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Jackson also serves as a Scientific Editor for the Journal of Food Science. Get to know her by reading the online interview.

The Dutch Agri-Food Eco-System: A Recipe for Success
Find out why the Netherlands is a prime site location for food research and development in a webcast taking place Jan. 16, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Central time. Through this webcast, which is free to IFT members, you’ll hear from noted experts about how the Dutch investment climate impacts the food sector. You’ll also hear from Hanno Cappon, Vice President Research & Development Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition for Danone, who will discuss his company’s experience operating in the heart of the “Holland Food Valley.” This webcast has a capacity of up to 1,000 registrants and includes an on-demand recording.

Kelly Hensel
Senior Digital Editor
[email protected]