This November (2024) I had a great interview with Brittany Ekelund of CTV Edmonton for her story:
From Instagram to IRL: Where to find this year’s trendy treats in Edmonton.
In this food trends article we talked about:
- Globally-inspired pastries including the many viral croissants AYCO Cafe makes in downtown Edmonton.
- The rise in plant-based options in Edmonton including the vegetable-forward menu from Little Wolf Restaurant and their monthly vegan dinners supporting Edmonton’s Food Bank.
- The idea of being more health-focused, veg-forward led me to invite local Vegetarian / Vegan eaters Kassia & Erin of @VeginYeg to guest blog an Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based, Vegetarian and Vegan Eating in Edmonton post that is getting lots of use.
- In general, the idea of more inclusive, accessible eating could be considered ‘trendy.’ For instance, my friend Sharman who is Celiac guest blogged for me an Ultimate Guide to Gluten-Free Eating in Edmonton which has continuously ranked as one of the most viewed posts on this blog each year since she wrote it (2019 with an update in 2023).
- Edmonton Oilers-themed food (‘newsjacking’ but for menu items). I blogged about California-inspired dishes when the Oilers were playing the L.A. Kings in the playoffs as a fun way to experience food and the playoffs, and a few years ago when they were up against the Anaheim Ducks, my blog on where to crush duck in Edmonton was shared more than 500 times. We also see this with very popular TV or movies that come out—and whether there’s a food twist or piece of it that might get introduced locally. I remember the Korean Dalgona candy featured in the popular show Squid Game led to a Calgary Korean cafe offering Dalgona candy, for example.
- A cautionary tale that comes with trends being incorporated locally—but around the world including ingredient prices going up, food shortages and cultural appropriation.
- And of course I had to get a nod in to Edmonton’s Chinatown as well as the notion that food trends come and go but new-to-you or objectively non-trendy restaurants / local businesses are forever so don’t forget about them and be sure to check them out regardless of what may be trending!
I did also mention a few other trends during our interview but it didn’t make the article, a few other things I thought were trendy I wanted to include in this blog post including:
- The rise in non-alcoholic drinkers and drink makers like Mock-Ups Mocktails / SPILT Zero Proof Bar in downtown Edmonton. Hydration in general—we are a generation generally that has never been more satiated, and there sure are a lot of liquid options to satisfy that.
- I do think we are going to see more 3D projection / immersive dinner theatre-style dining experiences going forward, as currently seen via Le Petit Chef at JW Marriott Edmonton ICE District and 7 Paintings at Halo Bar & Bistro – Renaissance Edmonton Airport.
- I had also considered the ‘trend’ of easier or more convenient food. We saw a huge surge in take home meals when the pandemic first began due to dine-in and gathering restrictions, things like A Cappella Catering’s Take & Bake were getting really popular and I think the benefit of that idea—the convenient, in-your-home aspect, never really left. I had popped into NAIT’s Artisanal Food Market this fall and noticed they have started putting out prepared individual take and heat meals as well.
- Is it a ‘trend’ to say that more affordable food would be great? I mean, not knocking costs of a restaurant—prices are set as a reflection of what the restaurant has to pay for ingredients, labour, and all sorts of factors so as living in general gets more expensive, menu prices will also go up and I don’t fault restaurants for that (let’s call on governments to do more about grossly inflated grocery prices that just line billionaire CEOs pockets how about?) but certainly I can see restaurants that aim to offer convenient and affordable foods taking off as a potential ‘trend.’ Where people might find more ‘value’ in their meal is attractive—whether that’s an all you can eat perspective (recently Lee House Korean in Chinatown turned into an all-you-can-eat Korean joint for instance and the weekly buffet lunches at NAIT’s Culinary student-run Ernest’s restaurant literally sell out in reservations well in advance), as people look for more economical options for dining out.
The notion of ‘supporting local’ may not be classified as ‘trendy’ anymore, but is certainly still relevant regardless of what year it is.
Which is my little subtle not so subtle reminder to keep supporting local restaurants regardless of the popular items of the moment. I also think there is something to be said about people rushing out to try a trendy thing because sure that’s fun, but from a sustainable business operations perspective, is that rush of business to try the thing going to keep you going in a meaningful, long-term way? I think AYCO does a pretty good job of refreshing their menu with continuous ‘viral’ trends throughout the year, but I also think they offer good quality food and drinks in a nice environment, so that obviously would help with more consistent success. No business wants to be a ‘one and done’ flash in the pan type of restaurant. The ‘trend’ might help with awareness and initial traffic through the door and butts in seats but hopefully people are returning too! And as I wrote above, the notion that food trends may come and go but new-to-you or objectively non-trendy restaurants / local businesses are forever, so please don’t forget about them and be sure to check them out regardless of what may be trending!
Thank you to Brittany for speaking with me on one of my favourite topics: local food! And inspiring me to add a few more food/trend thoughts on this blog.
And please let me know if there are any food trends you’re noticing locally in the comments below! Or if you have any food / trend predictions for 2025?
Linda
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1 Comment
More affordable food!