Latest news with #FutureMenus2025
CairoScene
03-07-2025
- Business
- CairoScene
Unilever's Future Menus 2025 Hits Egypt With New Take on Global Dining
Unilever's Future Menus 2025 Hits Egypt With New Take on Global Dining When chefs gather under the shadow of the pyramids, it's not usually to talk about tacos. But this month, at Khufu's restaurant—yes, that Khufu's, with the limestone backdrop and panoramic views of the world's last remaining ancient world wonder—Unilever Food Solutions did just that. The team in Egypt localised the global Future Menus 2025 campaign with a plate-spinning mix of trend forecasting, street food makeovers, and cultural deep dives. There were bao buns. There were Filipino sauces. There were updated takes on your teta's stews. The premise of Future Menus is simple: identify the shifts happening across global kitchens and translate them into useful frameworks for chefs. The 2025 edition distills those shifts into four major menu trends: Street Food Couture, Borderless Cuisine, Culinary Roots, and Diner Designed. If the names sound like they came out of a food-meets-fashion brainstorming session, that's because dining today is as much about vibe as it is about flavour—and Unilever Food Solutions knows it. Take Street Food Couture, for instance. Executive Chef Perihan Saleh of Gracias has been watching this trend marinate for years. 'Since corona,' she said, 'people have been craving the food of the streets—but with an uplifted touch.' That 'touch' translates to cleaner techniques, tighter plating, and flavours that hold their ground without drowning in nostalgia. Think Korean corn dogs with architectural integrity. Or tacos engineered for crunch at first bite. Then there's Borderless Cuisine, which captures the real-time remix happening in kitchens from Seoul to Sohag. With migration, travel, and algorithmically-curated food content all blending into one big sensory feed, diners are hungrier than ever for flavour collisions. At the event, Chef Shehab Mostafa of Khufu's brought this trend to life with dishes that reimagine Egyptian classics through global ingredients and technique. But while global fusions got plenty of heat, Culinary Roots was the course that hit closest to home. This trend was led by Chef Sherif Afifi, Executive Chef at Unilever Food Solutions, in collaboration with Chef Mostafa Seif. Together, they created a 'four hands' dish—a single concept shaped by two culinary minds, rooted in heritage but elevated with technique. Chef Sherif has been leading the Future Menus programme in Egypt for the past three years and has travelled to the Netherlands annually to collaborate with Unilever Food Solutions' global chef team. Meanwhile, the final trend, Diner Designed, taps into the slightly chaotic, entirely social-media-driven ways people eat now. It's not about prix fixe and more about pick-your-own-adventure menus. According to Unilever Food Solutions, 47% of diners would rather spend money on experiences than things—and yes, that stat was probably pulled from your FYP. Culinary Director Yomna Khedr, who runs the show at Lokali, summed it up neatly: 'Just eating isn't enough. It's fun to play with your food—and experience it.' The Future Menus launch event wasn't your typical hospitality summit. It didn't rely on buzzwords like 'elevated,' 'artisanal,' or 'game-changing.' Instead, it leaned into real kitchens, real chefs, and real challenges. What happens when your diner wants Korean heat, Egyptian comfort, and three types of texture in a single dish? How do you train your team to build a menu that makes sense to a Gen Z diner who grew up on mukbangs and Michelin? That's where Unilever Food Solutions is hoping to make a mark. With a portfolio that includes Knorr Professional and Hellmann's, plus a global team of over 250 chefs, their goal isn't to dictate taste but rather help chefs translate it. Their platform offers recipes, ingredient support, and training that allows kitchens to riff without losing footing. Still, launching this in Egypt, at a restaurant with a direct sightline to the last standing ancient wonder of the world, added some metaphorical weight. Because if there's one thing that food, like history, doesn't do, is stay still. Tastes shift. Techniques evolve. Menus need to move. What Future Menus 2025 makes clear is that movement isn't just coming from the usual centres of culinary gravity. It's just as likely to start with a street cart in Manila, a grandmother in Fayoum, or a burger joint in Guadalajara. And when it lands, it's chefs—not algorithms—who have to make it work on a plate.
IOL News
12-06-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Taking heat in the kitchen: Chef Tebogo Ramatsui gets candid about mental health in the food industry
Chef Tebogo Ramatsui is a culinary artist whose journey exemplifies both passion and perseverance. Image: Vuyile Madwantsi The smell of sizzling spices. The clatter of pans. The rush of orders. To the outside world, the kitchen can seem like a place of magic filled with flavours, flair, and fiery passion. But behind this culinary curtain, many chefs are quietly fighting a different kind of heat, one that burns out the body and mind. As June rolls in, bringing with it Father's Day and Men's Mental Health Month, it's time to pause and reflect on the often-overlooked struggles and strengths of South Africa's vibrant culinary scene. This month isn't just about celebrating fathers with gifts or hearty meals; it's about acknowledging the emotional toll that can take on men, especially those who dedicate their lives to feeding others. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the stories of chefs like Tebogo Ramatsui, a culinary artist whose journey exemplifies both passion and perseverance. Unpacking men's mental health in South Africa's food industry Research from global organisations, such as FairKitchens, reveals a concerning reality. • 74% of chefs report sleep deprivation to the point of exhaustion. • 63% say they've suffered from depression. • 53% feel they've been pushed to their breaking point. These figures aren't just numbers, they're a wake-up call for South Africa, where the hospitality industry is a vital part of our economy but often at the expense of mental wellbeing. In South Africa, long hours, high pressure, and physically demanding work are daily realities for many chefs and hospitality workers. Taking heat in the kitchen Add to that the reality of workplace bullying, intimidation, and sometimes hazardous conditions, and it's no surprise that mental health issues are prevalent. Yet, many feel they must hide their struggles, believing that admitting vulnerability is a sign of weakness. As Father's Day approaches, Lifestyle asked Chef Ramatsui about why Men's Mental Health Month is important to him, as both a chef and a father. 'It's been highlighted on so many platforms, the importance of looking after your mental health and speaking up when you're facing darker days,' he says. 'A lot of people don't have someone they can lean on. In kitchens, that 'someone' should be your team.' Ramatsui's journey has taken him from recipe development, crafting dishes around new products like smoked paprika, to mentoring chefs across Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town. Yet nothing has shaped his outlook more than witnessing colleagues struggle in silence. 'When you bottle it up, eventually you snap,' he warns. 'I've seen talented chefs walk away because the pressure became too much.' When I met Chef Ramatsui at Makers Landing in Cape Town, he was there representing Unilever Food Solutions for the launched of the third volume of their Future Menus 2025 trend report - a global culinary initiative helping kitchens around the world keep pace with diners' evolving tastes. This year's report introduced four cutting-edge trends: Street Food Couture, Borderless Cuisine, Culinary Roots, and Diner design. Yet, amid the buzz of food innovation, something deeper was simmering under the surface. 'Before anything else, we're human,' Chef Ramatsui said in conversation. 'We're sons, we're fathers, and we carry things that people never see. You can make a perfect plate and still feel empty inside.'
Forbes
18-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
4 Trends Shaping The Food Future: A New Report Reveals How Chefs And Restaurants Are Transforming Global Menus
Written by Mallory Gafas After the crunch of a corn chip, fresh guacamole rushes the tastebuds with flavors of creamy avocado, citrusy lime and zesty cilantro. Except this guacamole has none of those ingredients. At the global unveiling of a landmark new report, renowned chef Santiago Lastra presented a science-driven adaptation of the staple in his native Mexico to a skeptical audience ('Guacamole with no avocados?!'). One by one, they delighted in its surprisingly authentic flavor, reconfigured with hemp seeds, fermented gooseberry juice and other substitutive ingredients local to Britain, where Lastra's Michelin-starred restaurant, KOL, sources regional produce to reimagine Mexican dishes. Chef Santiago Lastra, head chef of KOL, in a presentation on 'Borderless Cuisine' at the Future Menus 2025 global launch event. Unilever Food Solutions 'You leave your country behind until you realize that you're an ambassador … The best recipes in the world were created by adapting to limitations when the world was not as connected as now,' chef Lastra said in his demonstration on one of four global trends uncovered in Future Menus 2025, an industry-leading report from Unilever Food Solutions (UFS). Now in its third edition, Future Menus 2025 is both a trend forecast and a data-driven guide for chefs, operators and food service leaders to stay relevant, cut costs, increase sustainability and innovate new ways to delight in food. Culled from 312 million online searches, 1,100 chef interviews worldwide and hundreds of hours of research and social listening, it translates key findings into critical solutions for industry pain points. Unilever Food Solutions Brought to life at a dazzling launch event in Amsterdam, where top global chefs and food industry leaders converged to turn insights into action, this year's report uncovers four global macro trends: 'Borderless Cuisine,' 'Street Food Couture,' 'Culinary Roots' and 'Diner Designed.' Watch highlights of the Future Menus 2025 global launch event in Amsterdam here: 'What was really interesting for me, looking at the data, is that these four mega trends are really playing out in every country around the world. …Our global reach and local presence allows us to show how they are manifesting differently across countries, across regions, across cities, across [operators] Read on to discover how each trend is shaping the future of food and dining. Where migration and adaptation meet on the menu If fusion once implied novelty for novelty's sake, Borderless Cuisine reclaims it with purpose. In a hyperconnected world, this trend reflects a real, live blending of cultures in kitchens, cities, and communities. 'Chefs across our network are combining techniques, identities, and experiences to create something wholly new—but still anchored in authenticity,' said Subramanian. The data backs it: Latin American and Asian cuisines are driving the fastest growth in global culinary interest, according to the Future Menus report. And at the Future Menus launch event, it was on vivid display. Spicy Asian-glazed fried chicken and waffles with maple mayonnaise creatively reimagines comfort food at the Future Menus 2025 global launch event. Unilever Food Solutions At lunch, guests experienced the trend firsthand through a 'Borderless' bowl of ramen salad with foamed sweet-and-sour hollandaise—a fusion of Eastern and European sensibilities, designed for scalability in high-volume operations. According to Future Menus 2025, the Borderless Cuisine trend is driven by second-generation chefs and international kitchens blending 'cultural memory with precision technique.' Far from gimmickry, it is built on deep respect for origin stories and made possible by the wide availability of indigenous ingredients, digital exchange and travel. Borderless Cuisine isn't just about ingredients. It's about storytelling through food. UFS offers modular templates and costed recipes that allow chefs to localize global influences, whether that means smoky shawarma wraps in Toronto or fiery Filipino skewers in Berlin. Elevating the everyday with global inspiration Street food has long been a story of ingenuity—quick, flavorful, affordable. But what happens when chefs bring their expertise, technique and local pride to the street? You get Street Food Couture, one of the four defining trends of Future Menus 2025. 'Chefs are responding to a huge demand for informal formats that don't sacrifice quality,' said Ximena Hernandez, Head of Marketing at Unilever Food Solutions. 'This trend is all about flavor intensity, bold presentation, and reinterpreting culinary heritage in ways that still resonate with today's diners.' One of the 'Street Food Couture' dishes served at a dinner show in the theme of the trend at the Future Menus 2025 global launch event. Unilever Food Solutions At the Westergas Terrain dinner in Amsterdam, the trend took center plate. A rich Korean dakbokkeumtang was glazed with fermented chili. A reimagined cheesecake with guava coulis arrived on fine porcelain. These were not street snacks—they were statements. That juxtaposition of casual form with refined technique is at the heart of the trend. It reflects the influence of Gen Z diners, who seek affordability and authenticity—but also shareability and surprise. Future Menus 2025 describes it as 'affordable luxury'—a way to increase perceived value without raising costs, using high-impact sauces, theatrical presentation and high-margin proteins in handheld or shareable formats. A showcase of diverse origins of street foods at an immersive dinner show on the Street Food Couture trend. Unilever Food Solutions UFS' ready-to-execute recipes such as South African apricot Sosaties or creamy ramen with char siu chicken were developed to help chefs bring this bold-yet-approachable style to life—without operational strain. 'If you had just a gallon pack of mayonnaise, how does [an operator] drizzle?' Subramanian poses. UFS responds with innovations like portionable squeeze packs that allow street food operators to create visual flair more easily and hygienically. Looking back to reinvent what's next While much of the food world races toward the next big thing, the 'Culinary Roots' trend pulls us to origin, memory and meaning. At Unilever's global Foods Innovation Center, attendees tasted this grounding trend in dishes like Grilled Eggplant Escabeche and Kishka-stuffed Cholent—recipes rooted in heritage and identity. These weren't nostalgic throwbacks. They were acts of cultural stewardship. 'We're seeing chefs lean into their lineage,' said Subramanian. 'It's not about replicating the past, but evolving it with purpose.' Chef Ana Roš, executive chef and owner of Hiša Franko Unilever Food Solutions Ana Roš, the Slovenian chef behind Hiša Franko—a three-Michelin-star restaurant lauded for its sustainability—echoed this sentiment at the Future Menus event. She spoke candidly about how regional Alpine ingredients could evoke authentic memories when used with intention. 'Sustainability is not an award,' she said on stage. 'It's a responsibility.' Her dishes prove that local and global need not be at odds. Chef Ana Roš presents a unique potato dish at the Future Menus 2025 global launch event. Unilever Food Solutions Reflecting on his own experience at the heart of the Future Menus platform, UFS President Star Chen highlighted the role of food as an emotional connector. 'A great chef can create a memorable experience,' he said. 'A truly great chef creates an unforgettable one. And that often starts with a personal story.' For UFS, Culinary Roots is not a trend to merely observe—it's a practice to support. Templates built around traditional techniques, like marination and fermentation, provide a foundation chefs can customize, remix, and build upon. In today's environment—where diners increasingly ask where food comes from—this trend gives operators a way to deepen authenticity, connection, and trust. Menus that listen, meals that engage The rise of personalization isn't new. But in food service, its implications are only now being fully realized. Diners no longer want options. They want control. The Diner Designed trend reflects this shift—toward co-creation, flexibility, and tailored experience. At the Future Menus event, chef and provocateur Gaggan Anand brought this idea to life with his now-famous 'Lick It Up' dish—a literal invitation to engage, not just consume. The dish—and the philosophy behind it—underscored a larger truth: today's diners want to be part of the story. Attendees of the Future Menus 2025 global launch event enjoy an experiential 'Lick It Up' dish presented by iconic chef Gaggan Anand. Unilever Food Solutions 'Gen Z in particular expects interaction,' said Hernandez. 'It's not just about customization, it's about relevance. Diners want menus that feel made for them.' Vegan burgers prepared by UFS chefs from Unilever's AI application. Unilever Food Solutions To demonstrate the future of this idea, UFS debuted a Chef AI prototype during the event that allowed guests to personalize a dish based on dietary needs, spice tolerance, and mood. It was a playful proof of concept—but one grounded in practical utility. The trend is also deeply operational. UFS' support includes ingredient swap suggestions, modular dish builds, and digitally integrated planning tools that allow operators to deliver choice without overcomplicating execution. 'Being future-fit means understanding diners not just as customers, but as collaborators,' said Subramanian. 'That's what this trend captures.' As the event drew to a close, guests gathered for a final dinner at MOS Amsterdam—a moment of reflection, but also momentum—and readiness to address key challenges. 'Operators are under pressure,' said Subramanian. 'Labor, cost, expectations. Our role is to help them cope with those shifts—not just through inspiration, but with real tools.' UFS chefs prepare food for guests of the Future Menus 2025 global launch event in Amsterdam. Unilever Food Solutions And that's what Future Menus 2025 offers. Grounded in research, shaped by chefs, and tested in professional kitchens across six continents, it is less about prediction and more about preparation. For the chefs, restaurateurs, and food leaders navigating what's next, this report is not just a reference. It's a resource—and a reason to believe that innovation can be both practical and profound. Beyond the Future Menus report, UFS is committed to training chefs and operators within its portal, which houses thousands of recipes, practical kitchen and team solutions, content for inspiration and free modules with the latest professional trainings—all created and filmed with expert chefs from around the world. An immersive dining experience concludes the report's dazzling event marking the global launch of Future Menus 2025. Unilever Food Solutions
