How does this play out with comfort food, a topic near and dear to consumers’ hearts in times of economic turmoil and financial stress? Do Boomers and their Gen Y offspring turn to the same foods for comfort? How about Gen Xers, raising children in a new world of healthful options and global flavors? And what role do venerable food brands play in definitions of comfort food by generation?

To uncover some answers, the Center for Culinary Development conducted a national online Generational Comfort Food Survey . By aligning survey findings with the comfort food trends we have been tracking, it became clear that comfort foods are evolving. And that’s because consumers’ tastes and values are evolving, along with health goals and personal/professional lifestyles.

So what’s new? Here are three overarching dynamics that are framing change in the comfort food arena:

• Contemporary Quality - Consumer expectations and criteria are changing. Food quality comes in new shapes and sizes today, in some cases customized to each generation.
• The New Diversity - It’s not just Generation Y that is adopting comfort foods from other cultures.
• Balanced Eating - Indulging in our favorite comfort foods can result in pangs of guilt afterwards. However, today’s consumers have new choices.

• Stage 1
• Breakfast for Dessert. Consumers of all ages are enjoying sweet breakfast foods in after-dinner slots.

• Stage 2
• The New Meatloaf. Chefs are updating meatloaf with new meats (some more healthful), new global flavorings and new forms.
• The Return of Pie. Inspired bakers re-do pie with fresher, more seasonal fillings and exotic twists.

• Stage 3
• Pho/Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup. Thanks to a more diverse Gen Y, many consumers are finding comfort in this flavorful and healthful Vietnamese noodle soup.

• Stage 4
• Asian Curries. Aromatic and satisfying Indian and Thai curry dishes have attracted a broad fan base of adventurous eaters, including those seeking more nourishing comfort.
• Casserole Redux. Today’s casseroles are fresher and more healthful, improved with seasonal vegetables and lighter fillings.

  Stage 5

• Mac and Cheese With a Twist. Whether updated with creative twists or supplemented with healthful veggies, mac ‘n cheese remains a crowd pleaser.

This data-rich report combines tracking of today’s culinary trends with fresh consumer insights. Manufacturers and foodservice operators can rarely go wrong with savvy catering to consumers’ comfort food cravings. To really hit the target, look to our trend translations for a world of contemporary comfort food opportunities.

• • • The Culinary Trend Mapping Report is an indispensable tool for those whose job it is to stay abreast of what's hot - or what will be - in the food world!

Using the Center for Culinary Development’s (CCD) signature Trend Mapping technique, a validated method identifying which culinary trends are “gaining traction” and which are simply flashes in the pan, each report concentrates on a theme, or trend, that is affecting the food industry, and then looks at the emerging and established ingredients, cooking styles and products along the Trend Map that are driving this theme.

Each report is a substantial journal packed with trends, data, strategies and insights on the food industry that simply aren't available anywhere else.

Each Issue of the Culinary Trends Mapping Report

• Identifies the maturity level of foods and ingredients according to CCD’s unique, proprietary 5-stage trend mapping process.
• Concentrates on a theme that is affecting the food industry, and then looks at the emerging and established trends along the Trend Map that affect—or are affected by—this theme.
• Delves into these trends and what they mean for you and the manufacturing, retailing, and foodservice industries.
• Gives strategic insight into how consumers are thinking of and reacting to new foods and ingredients.
• Provides business know-how regarding opportunities, challenges, and ways to implement current trends into foodservice, retail, and packaged goods operations.
• Presents a feature interview with a member chef from CCD’s exclusive 80+ member Chefs’ Council® that offers expert analysis and his or her perspective on a specific trend.

• Menu Examples: Within the trend profiles, we show how the trends are being served─through current menu examples from white tablecloth and independent restaurants, as well as new product offerings from chain foodservice operators.
• Industry Veterans Speak: Points of view from an industry perspective on what each trend means—whether positive or negative—to the food industry at large, including consumers, professionals and businesses.

Trend Mapping is guided by the premise that major food trends pass through five distinct stages on their way to the mainstream:

• Stage 1: The ingredient, dish and/or cooking technique appears at upscale dining establishments, ethnic and popular independent restaurants.
• Stage 2: The item is featured in specialty consumer-oriented food magazines, such as Gourmet and Bon Appétit plus retail stores such as Sur La Table that target culinary professionals and serious home cooks.
• Stage 3: The item begins to appear in mainstream chain restaurants -- Applebee's or Chili's --as well as retail stores such as Williams-Sonoma that target recreational cooks.
• Stage 4: Publications such as Family Circle and Better Homes and Gardens pick up the buzz.
• Stage 5: Finally, the trend makes its way to quick service restaurant menus and is either starting to appear or is having increased presence on grocery store shelves.

Published bimonthly, the Culinary Trend Mapping Report is available for purchase as a single issue or a six-issue subscription.