Part and parcel of this self-affirmation is the accompanying fascination with everything local. “Chefs love to connect with local sources, cook with the freshest ingredients possible, and call out local farms and producers on menus,” Hunter says. “Local foods are a source of pride to every community in every circle of people. I can name high-profile chefs from cities large and small around the country, and each is cooking delicious food from their region and getting acclaim for it.”
The cocooning we’ve done since the “Great Recession” also causes us to gaze with new eyes on local culinary culture. “What’s interesting about this trend,” says Sean Craig, senior executive chef, Gilroy Foods & Flavors, Gilroy, CA, “is that although the economy has increased the focus on comfort food, which tends to include regional flavors, the focus on regionality predates the downturn and will continue to be popular after the recovery. Comfort foods like gumbo in Louisiana, Tex-Mex chili, and New England clam chowder are quintessential examples of the regional flavors that have maintained their popularity on the American menu throughout the years, and are experiencing a resurgence now.”
Craig sees this focus in Food Network programs like Down Home with the Neelys and Cooking for Real. “Both shows are particular to the star’s regional cuisines, but the shows’ popularity extends across the nation,” he says.
Justin Young, executive chef, Kraft Food Ingredients (KFI), Memphis, TN, would add to that list shows like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and websites like RoadFood.com, which raise the profile of regional cuisines while encouraging consumers to make “some delicious discoveries,” he says. “Food specialties originating from local diners have, in some cases, inspired successful restaurant chains and popular food products.”
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