Food trends, like fashion trends, come and go. While you’re probably sick of hearing about TikTok food trends like four-way quesadilla wraps and baked oats, you can rest assured that many of the major culinary trends of 2022 will stretch well beyond the social media environment. We combed through dozens of 2022 food trend forecasts and enlisted the expertise of industry experts to gaze into the crystal ball.
Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the anticipated culinary trends for 2022/2023 are influenced or inspired by related pivots. However, other culinary trends are fun, indicating that we’re getting closer to that “new normal.”
The Top Food Trends for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas
As caterers, we prefer to stay ahead of special event food and décor trends. The trends we follow originate from a variety of sources. Caterers are artists, meaning we get inspiration from the world around us. And you best believe we also look around for unique ingredients for our meals. Our current top retailer is Publix. When we visit Publix stores, we frequently find fantastic deals.
Every week, they provide numerous excellent bargains to their devoted consumers on the top items you cannot afford to miss. Our advice; if you want to keep to your budget and save money while shopping for your favorite brands’ items, you should check out the most recent Publix weekly ad preview and reap the rewards.
You can also get high-quality ingredients from local farmers’ markets. Most markets provide a diverse choice of items at low rates without sacrificing quality.
Vegetarian Versions of Festive Classics

Vegetarian chefs are pushing their creativity to new heights to offer Christmas dinners with no hint of compromise.
Make sure your vegetarian guests get into the holiday mood this year by serving seitan or filled tofu-based loaves, which make excellent ‘center-of-the-table’ alternatives for traditional ham and turkey roasts. These protein substitutes provide substantial blank canvases for your favorite Christmas flavors, whether bulked up with mushrooms and nuts or seasoned with a vegetarian gravy or liquid smoke.
Christmas pies, galettes, and tarts are also excellent options for vegetarians. Curry, garam masala, caramelized onion, and cumin give any veggie-based pie a flavorful boost. Cauliflower steaks and potato gratin provide a hearty supper for vegetarians and may be served in various delightful ways.
In-house Ingredients will Be Important in Asian Restaurants
This is a trend that will be game-changing in 2022. More restaurants are doing things in-house rather than buying them from a shop! Consider in-house sauces like ketchup, mayo, aioli, house-made bread, nut butter, cheese, and cocktail and mocktail syrups.
This results in a MAJOR decrease in food costs, perfectly fresh tastes because no preservatives are used, optimal staff utilization, and a unique USP for the menu because everything is created by hand and designed for the restaurant. Asian restaurants have also abandoned store-bought curry pastes such as Thai curry pastes and sriracha, among others, in favor of preparing their pastes, purées, and sauces!
Comfort Food is Experiencing A Renaissance

Soups, stews, roasts, and schnitzels will boost popularity throughout the holiday season as customers get back into the swing of things after a lengthy absence from in-venue eating.
The key for cooks is to develop new ways to riff on classic flavors. Slow-cooked dahl, smoked ribs, and coq au vin in white wine are just a few of the comfort food modifications we’re seeing. Classic sweet and baked items are also expected to be popular at breakfast and brunch establishments.
The trick is to provide the flavors your clients have been missing while putting your distinctive touch on foods.
Leaner Main Courses & Meaner Presentations
In keeping with the trend of employers caring more about their employees’ nutrition, leaner meats such as chicken or fish for main dishes will be popular this year. What excites us is the growing need for new and imaginative ways to cook and showcase these traditional components.
Here are a few samples of what you could see from us:
- Locally-raised Rainbow trout from Rushing Waters with bruschetta and balsamic drizzle
- Wildberry demi glaze over boneless chicken thighs or stone mill cream
There’s a considerable likelihood that you will use some unusual presentation tactics in your business party entrées. Specially prepared fry or skillet pans might be one of them.
Dessert Stations with Spicy and Specialty Flavors
Your employees may expect never-before-seen delights from blending new and old concepts this Christmas season. Creating them at particular stations also adds connection and proximity to your cuisine. Some delectably sweet examples include:
- Specialty donut stations featuring gingerbread, grasshopper, eggnog, pumpkin, and maple bacon flavors.
- Miniature ice cream cone stand
- Cocktail lounges that serve old-fashions with eggnog
- Holiday Sweets
Aside from these, you can try the best log cakes in numerous flavors.
Desserts have endless possibilities, and our group is establishing trends and pushing the edge when it comes to preparing them in unique and delectable ways.
Nostalgia is Back
Grandma’s Christmas recipes are receiving a modern update, with old favorites reappearing in new and surprising forms. Traditional holiday foods are being reinvented, such as ham in a calzone or as part of an opulent crepe. Turkey is also getting a creative makeover, with sausage rolls on the menu and zesty, fruit-based stuffing becoming increasingly popular.
Glazes allow for fascinating changes, with immune-boosting components like ginger and lime supporting a taste shift for Christmas meats. Chefs are also experimenting with changing customer palates and adding spice to various celebratory foods by spicing up summer salad dressings, seafood sauces, and roasted vegetable spices. Even the humble cranberry, a Christmas staple, is being repurposed in anything from bite-sized appetizers to casseroles for the holidays.
Micro-Cuisines will Be Honored
During the epidemic, individuals found it impossible to get imported supplies and instead relied on lesser quality items that were accessible, prompting them to hunt for alternatives. This is what sparked a greater appreciation for and desire for hyper-local ingredients. Farmers began producing great ingredients for home or restaurant use, which will only help their company and open the door for additional hyper-local ingredients to be cultivated, produced, and used.
It also encourages farmers to produce for our restaurant consumption by investigating micro cuisines within regional cuisines and incorporating meals into the menu. One of the most exciting things for foodies going into 2023 will be to delve further into our enormous country’s food culture. Regional cuisine has already acquired appeal, but by expanding it to micro-cuisines, we open ourselves up to many new flavors, sensations, and previously overlooked elements.
Also read: A Helpful Guide to Organizing Holiday with Children: How to Have a Perfect Family Holiday?