13 noncommercial chefs divulge their plans for 2021

The calendar page is soon going to turn to 2021, leaving one of the most challenging years in recent memory in the rearview mirror. It’s pretty impossible to find anyone who isn’t looking forward to the new year, including the chefs who make up FoodService Director’s Culinary Council. From K-12 to college dining and B&I to senior living, these chefs are eager to re-energize their menus with ideas and trends put on the back burner through most of the pandemic.

Read on to see which COVID-19 innovations they’re planning to keep as 2020 draws to a close and how they’re strategizing for the future.

Comfort food endures

A number of chefs are suffering from pandemic fatigue, but the first months of 2021 will see a continuation of some of the social and menu restrictions of the past year. For many operators and their customers, that means comfort foods will retain their appeal. But chefs are planning on injecting these familiar favorites with more excitement ahead.

“As far as trends go, we are looking to move forward by taking comfort food classics and tweaking and twisting them to make them new and exciting. For example, taking a Colorado classic like green chile and fusing that with mac and cheese or a lasagna.We are also planning on renewing our focus for next year around customer input and suggestions, hoping to combat some of the menu fatigue we are all feeling due to everyone’s current circumstances.”  
—Matthew Hairgrove, Denver Public Schools

“I truly expect that as we begin 2021 we will still be facing many of the same challenges that we dealing with today. During my winter cycle (October 2020 to March 2021), I have focused on ‘comfort foods’. These items have provided residents with some normalcy in an abnormal world. My hope is that my spring cycle (April 2021) will be my opportunity to continue to introduce additional  international fare  and also focus on plant-forward and vegetarian dishes, which have been steadily gaining in popularity with our newer residents.” 
—Stephen Plescha, Pennswood Village

“Our menus coming back in January will be focusing on bringing service back to our normal level, considering what we learned over the last six months. We are finding that recreating comfort food classics in this time of uncertainty has been much appreciated, so we will continue looking at recipes that we can freshen up and offer a sense of comfort to our guests.” 
—Christopher Studtmann, Seattle Pacific University

Streamlining menus

Supply chain and labor issues forced operators to restructure and pare down menus. In many cases, this was a positive change that eased execution and will continue into 2021.

“Our menu choices this year are focused on continued high quality of safe service with a limited labor model, especially due to a lack of student workers.  Our menus have been streamlined for efficiency and speed of service.  This includes some pre-portioned items made to grab and go to keep the long, socially distanced lines moving at an efficient pace.  Most of our innovation currently has been in packaging for efficiency.  We have been transforming buffet-style dishes into grab-and-go choices. One of the examples being added to our Sunday brunch this spring will be a grab-and-go charcuterie box with Penn State Meats lab-cured meats.”
—Jeff Varcoe, Penn State University

“The first step was going through recipes and ingredients. Removing items that were not used in many recipes was very helpful. Working with our primary supplier and establishing new system par levels on items we would need for patient and retail was also done.  Another big change was moving from a 3-week cycle menu to a 2-week. In the past, sites had a lot of autonomy on what they could choose to run as long as it came from the recipe ‘toolbox’. This also changed. A more mandated approach was taken. I vetted all the recipes to make sure the ingredients were available. The menus were sent out to the sites to run. This actually was a big success. Not only did it help stabilize purchasing, but inventory was impacted in a positive manner as well. Cross-utilization of patient to retail recipes was incorporated a lot more as well. With staffing shortages, it just made sense to streamline as much as possible.” 
—Matthew Cervay, Geisinger Health Systems

Renewed sustainability and health efforts

In the scramble to make foodservice safe and efficient amid the pandemic, sustainability efforts were stalled in many operations. And health sometimes took a backseat to hearty comfort food. But as we move into 2021, operators are renewing efforts on both fronts.

“The biggest and most important trend facing us today is food waste. Flik and Compass have made great strides in increasing awareness among our teams with programs in place to measure and decrease the amount of food going into the waste stream. In addition, we will continue to hold focused trainings on techniques to use foods from root to stem. We’re partnering with Food Recovery Networks to redirect overproduction to assist people in need.”
—Bill Chodan, Flik Hospitality Group

“Looking ahead into 2021, we are predicting some pandemic norms will be sticking around for a while. Items like pre-packaged grab-and-go meals/meal kits and individual small plates will replace shareable items, and takeout will continue to play a large role. One directional line of thought will continue to be toward sustainable, eco-friendly packaging. With such a demand for single use now, packaging needs to be a top focus for operators. 

"I personally believe we will begin to see more and more emphasis on functional ingredients as well. Particularly items with high levels of immune-boosting compounds like Vitamin C (found in citrus, bell pepper, etc.), antioxidants (in items like teas and many vegetables) and anti-inflammatory ingredients (like ginger and turmeric) to promote health.” 
—Rocky Dunnam, MU Health Care

"Sodexo has committed to reducing our global carbon footprint to the tune of 34% by 2025. Roughly 70% of carbon emissions in our industry come from animal-based proteins. Seventy-five percent of our global diet comes from five animal species and 12 crops. 

"Sustainable and plant-based dining is advancing from a trend to a true culture shift for anyone that grows, produces, serves or eats food. The pandemic has only intensified the consumer’s desire for it, especially as it relates to wellness.”
—Rob Morasco, Sodexo

“Prior to the COVID impacts seen throughout the foodservice world, we began to plan and implement our new five-year strategic plan. As part of this, there was a renewed direction toward not only maintaining our high quality of meals, but to continue to push for a focus on selecting higher quality ingredients and products with cleaner, simpler ingredients.”
—Matthew Hairgrove, Denver Public Schools

“Moving into the new year I have been focused on answering this question: What do students find as healthy eating these days? I have seen that guests are more concerned with what foods impact their overall health living through COVID restrictions and believe this will be a trend that continues to define dining habits after we start returning to the new normal.

“With the shutdown of schools and a complete rebuild of our food program, I can say that one of our most proud moments is the fact that we have kept our food philosophy intact and have continued to work with local farmers/producers. We just began offering a local yogurt in our meal box …  a bulk food box that is equal to seven breakfasts, seven lunches and seven snacks, each box contains fresh fruit and vegetables and numerous grain and protein options.  These meal boxes are offered to anyone 18 or younger at 27 locations throughout Minneapolis Monday thru Friday.”
—Mark Augustine, Minneapolis Public Schools

“The wellness trends of everything in moderation, gut health, healthier alternate proteins with lower sodium and natural fats, and clean foods will continue to be a foundation in our guests' diets. Adding more focus on Performance Dining, both for the physical and mental benefits, is something that I have been hearing about as requests from guests and administrators. With more people looking at food as fuel for their lifestyles, the philosophies of athletic fueling are now becoming the mindset of a higher percentage of our guests. With this we are focusing on lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and ancient grains, produce with higher levels of antioxidants and increased noncarbonated beverage options.”
—Christopher Studtmann, Seattle Pacific University

Getting social

Shuttered dining venues and the pivot to takeout and delivery during the pandemic severely diminished the social aspects of meals. In senior living, particularly, residents were often limited to eating in their apartments or rooms. Chefs want to bring human connection back to the dining experience.

“One innovation that we brought to the residents during quarantine was a farmers market/grab and go. One version was mobile so we could travel throughout the building, and another was set up in the lobby with scheduled visiting times to ensure proper social distancing and safety. Residents had the option to fill a bag with a snack sandwich, apples, bananas, pears, strawberries, watermelon, blueberries, yogurt, cereal bars, chips and other ready-to-eat foods. The residents really enjoyed the weekly interactions with each other and the staff.”  
—Andrew Jackson, Rockynol/Ohio Living  

“Looking forward to 2021, it is my hope that we can create menus and dining opportunities that will bring people together again. I am looking forward to creative solutions for social gatherings for our residents and team members.”
—Ryan Wagner, Breckenridge Village/Ohio Living

Embracing trends and normalcy

A return to normalcy is the No. 1 wish of most foodservice operators. But that doesn’t mean putting the brakes on innovation. Some of the creative ideas introduced in 2020 will get freshened up, and there’s a strong desire to explore new flavors, ingredients and trends.

“We are pretty excited about 2021. We are rolling out an app so staff and visitors can order food and pick it up with no contact with other people. The menu is pretty basic with housemade food that has customization options.

"I am also looking at 2021 as redefining our station standards. Going through categories such as deli, grill and pizza stations and redefining what those ingredients and options are, breathing in new life and cutting out some of the fat is the goal. Even with all these changes, customers still crave/want on-trend items. A big focus for our entree and modified action stations in 2021 is offering healthy value meals and on-trend craveable flavors. Celebrating flavors from around the world will continue with our specialty MTO bowls and other offerings.” 
—Matthew Cervay, Geisinger Health Systems

“Our main focus for the upcoming semester is developing and expanding our made-to-order concepts to fit our restrictions. That determination was from the overwhelming feedback from our student body of what they were missing from our current COVID setup compared to our offerings pre-COVID. We had a lot of comments that students preferred to pick their own salad bowl ingredients vs. choosing premade salads. We developed a made-to-order salad bar special that changes daily. We also built a pasta/mac-and-cheese bar, and we are planning the same concept with bagels and grilled cheese.”
—Tyler Betzhold, University of Richmond

“Our hope is to be able to once again begin offering what our students had become accustomed to, and that is customizable meals that include flavors from all over the globe. We are still in the initial planning stages for next year, but for sure we will be offering some flavors from the eastern Mediterranean; hummus and falafel bowls keep coming up in discussion.”
—Mark Augustine, Minneapolis Public Schools

“We are implementing rigorous carryouts using a scanned label method. And expanding our program to 24/7 service. There really is only one way to go ... onward and upward, aided by an encouraging enthusiastic team focused on scratch-cooked, global and down-home meals.”
—Iraj Fernando, Southern Foodservice Management