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When Fare surveyed its readers in January on menu trends, operators across the segments said Mexican/Latin American cuisine had the greatest sales growth potential for the year to come. Not quite as cutting edge as if you’d asked a group of white-tablecloth chefs, who might answer Nordic fare, or regional Chinese. But Latin American cuisine--and, as a subset, Mexican cuisine--is so appealing because it’s both cutting edge and comforting.
For as commonplace as some elements of Mexican cuisine are in mainstream American cooking, many foodservice concepts are pushing aside our Tex-Mex tendencies and exploring the regional nuances from Oaxaca to Michoacan.
The lands south and east of Mexico’s borders offer even more opportunities for adventurous operators and consumers to explore, from the jerk spices of the Caribbean to Brazil’s feijoada, a hearty stew of beans, pork and beef.
The result is a spectrum of flavors and dishes that will cater to your customers’ Latin proclivities no matter how adventurous they are. So where on the spectrum should your menu fall?
