Top 3 Food Trends You’ll Be Hearing About This Summer

The food world is ever-changing, so our research and development team wants to assist you in creating and serving meals that are both delicious and on-trend to really wow your guests! With Summer underway, we're sharing the three food and gathering trends that played a critical role in the development of this season's products. 

Summer Cooking With Epicure’s Head of Innovation 

Hi! I'm Jenn Danter, Director of Innovation. Yesterday we launched our new season of products for Summer 2022. The team had a lot of fun creating the products, and I want to highlight a few key trends and stories that played a role in developing the new products. 

1. Global flavours  

Maybe because we haven't traveled afar in the last few years, we're yearning for adventure. Or perhaps it's because borders don't exist on social media. Still, there's a genuine curiosity and craving for food from different parts of the world! 

With new Meal Solutions and Wing Seasonings, you can easily explore international cuisine on a weeknight without the stress of a long recipe with complicated directions, too many ingredients, or excessive prep time. This season I'm loving all the new products, but here are some of my personal favourites:  

Chinese Five Spice Wing Seasoning—while it's great on wings, this is my new all-purpose chicken and BBQ staple. The notes of cinnamon, star anise, fennel, clove, and white pepper pop with anything hot off the grill. It's a game-changer for pork chops, flank steak, chicken, and a mess of grilled broccoli, red onion & peppers. 

This Chinese Five Spice Pork & Broccoli recipe takes the guesswork out of the busy weeknight dinner dilemma! Place everything onto a sheet pan, and you’ll have a healthy, better-than-takeout meal in just 20 minutes. At only $1.99 a serving, your wallet will thank you too! 

2. Cheap Eats 

According to Canada's Food Price Report, a family of four will spend up to $14,767.36 on food, an increase of up to $966.08 from the total yearly cost in 2021. With food prices skyrocketing, it’s time to get thrifty in the kitchen, so we consulted with the experts: college students! Living on a shoestring budget doesn't mean sacrificing flavour—at all!  Meet the College Cooking Collection and Free Meal Plan. This collection wins by delivering flavourful meals made with a few pantry staples that won't break the bank. Because recipes on the pack are easily customized, you aren't locked into certain ingredients: buy what's on sale—fresh, frozen, or canned. The recipes are uber flexible. 

3. Fun, friends, and food!  

Did the pandemic make us all homebodies? We've missed socializing and eating together! Nothing makes you feel better than a good friend. So, we reached out to our friends—the Epicure community! Together we collaborated and co-developed some fun food products. Say hello to the Better Together Collection!  

My family and friends have all warmed up to bowls of Cajun Stew. We've dipped too many bags of nacho chips into Queso Blanco. And both Ancho Lime Rub and Jerk Chicken Wings Seasoning make regular appearances BBQ-side. I'll  have these four products on repeat to see me through the rest of summer! 

Hungry for more? Sample this season's latest and greatest meal solutions with the Taste the Season Collection. Find 11 simple recipes with quick cook times and that crowd-pleasing flavour you've been after! Chicken Souvlaki Seasoning is my new pantry staple from this collection. 

It's another classic better-than-take-out recipe I make a lot because it’s only $2.75 a serving. I love sheet pan meals because it means I won't have a lot of dishes to clean up either! I make it with chicken thighs or sliced pork tenderloin—whatever is on sale, then clean out the fridge using ends and bits of veggies to roast alongside and use as toppers when I tuck it all into a fresh, doughy pita.   

Which food trends are you most excited about this summer? Which new products and recipes will you be trying? Let us know—tag us @epicureofficial on Instagram!  

Written in collaboration by Jenn Danter, Director of Innovation, and Gabi Abreu, Product Education Specialist. 

LOOKING FOR MORE BUDGET-FRIENDLY DINNERS?

Meet the Epic Box—Epicure’s monthly subscription box with 7 easy peasy dinners, epic exclusives, and more! Meals cost under $4 per serving, shipping is always free, and each month you subscribe, 7 meals are donated to families in need.   

“Such an easy, fun and inexpensive way to break out of your meal rut!”  – Amber Karol Davret