Food Culture Evolution Drives Kitchenware Market
By Micah Cheek
A new generation of celebrity chefs and their foodie friends is changing the foods we like to cook, and as our cooking evolves to follow the trend, so will our kitchenware needs. Celebrity chef, author and television host Anthony Bourdain addressed some of this during a talk to the Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo in May, according to a story reported by Gourmet News magazine in its July issue.
According to Gourmet News, Bourdain pointed out that the way consumers shop for food is shifting radically. “What are people looking for in food now? What are they valuing? It has changed. I think what people are looking for more than anything else is perceived authenticity. They want that sense that they’re getting the real thing, the real deal,” he said. The author and television personality also noted that communities are becoming more ethnically diverse, exposing their members to a greater variety of options for what a meal looks like. This shift in perception could mean changes in the way people cook and serve at home.
Food educators like New School of Cooking in Culver City, California, are busy teaching the consequences of these demographic shifts in the cooking classes they offer to home cooks. From them, we can learn what these folks are interested in and what they are likely to buy. In conversations with food educators, the consensus seems to be that younger home cooks are still trying to learn the fundamentals. “People for whatever reason just really love those basic classes,” says Tara Redfield, Marketing Director, New School of Cooking. “We do a basic cooking series that’s four weeks long. We also do a 20-week course called Pro Cooking or Pro Baking. It’s great for someone who doesn’t want to be a professional, but wants to hone their cooking or baking skills.” The demographic for cooking classes has also changed, leaning younger than in the past.
For kitchenware retailers, this means stocking the basics and items for customers looking to try something new. The big three essentials for classes, according to Redfield, are high quality knives, sturdy tongs and cheese graters.
Greater ethnic diversity also means greater emphasis on authentic ethnic foods and flavors. The U.S. is projected to become even more ethnically diverse in the coming decades, and by 2055, the country won’t have a single ethnic majority, according to the Pew Research Center. Over the next five decades, this population change is expected to be driven by new Asian and Hispanic immigration, the Pew Research Center reports. In the speech reported by Gourmet News, Bourdain noted that 78 percent of Houston residents under the age of 30 are not of Anglo-Saxon family origin. “That’s a hell of a lot of people who grew up eating something other than meat loaf,” he said.
The preparation of authentic dishes that reflect the eating habits of people who grew up eating grandma’s kimchee and graduated to tacos and banh mi bought at street trucks raises some excellent opportunities for kitchenware retailers. The Nuni Tortilla Toaster, to name one example, matches that desire for authentic Latin cuisine with the convenience of a countertop appliance. The Nuni has a retro design with vertical slots for tortillas, much like a classic bread toaster, and is in the midst of an Indiegogo campaign to begin production. Imusa, meanwhile, has developed an appliance for making tortillas and other flatbreads from dough. The Imusa Electric Tortilla Maker presses and cooks simultaneously with nonstick plates, and features custom temperature controls.
