Latest news with #culinaryinnovation
The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
From eggs benedict to the minibar: seven food and drink gamechangers that became hotel hits
One of the most exciting aspects of arriving at a world-renowned hotel is exploring all the wonderful food on offer to guests. Over the years, hotels have been at the forefront of innovation in dining, creating exciting new ways to prepare and present food to offer guests a truly unique experience on their travels. Some of the creations to emerge from hotels over the past century have gained iconic status. Here are six dishes and drinks, and another culinary innovation that we have hotels to thank for bringing into our lives. Walnut or wal-not? The Waldorf salad The Waldorf-Astoria New York is among the world's most storied hotels. A byword for luxury, it has welcomed countless famous people through its doors, from US presidents to stars such as Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe. Its renowned – and perennially popular – Waldorf salad was invented in 1896 for a charity ball in honour of the St Mary's Hospital for Children. The maitre d'hotel, Oscar Tschirky, created the original dish, consisting of apples, celery and mayonnaise, and, some time later, walnuts were added, giving the salad its satisfying crunch. Modern versions usually include grapes, and sometimes chicken, while the dressing can be made with the addition of lemon or orange zest, or with yoghurt instead of mayonnaise. Squidgy comfort: the brownieIf there's one sweet treat that signals comfort, it's the squidgy, chocolatey brownie. The gooey confection has many origin stories, and one suggests it was created in the kitchen of the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago in 1893, at the direction of Bertha Palmer, a socialite and philanthropist whose husband built the hotel. As chair of the Board of Lady Managers for the World's Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago, she tasked pastry chef Joseph Sehl with creating a new dessert that would be easy to box and transport. The first reference to the word 'brownie' appeared in the Sears Roebuck catalogue, published in Chicago in 1897. The hotel still serves brownies made to the same recipe, consisting of semi-sweet chocolate, butter, sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla extract and crushed walnuts. The brunch behemoth: eggs benedictThis classic brunch recipe is another Waldorf creation. According to a story first published in the New Yorker, in 1894 Wall Street broker Lemuel Benedict arrived for breakfast at the hotel feeling hungover. He ordered 'buttered toast, crisp bacon, two poached eggs, and a hooker of hollandaise sauce'. It must have gone down well as, soon after, Tschirky, known as 'Oscar of the Waldorf', added the new creation to the hotel's breakfast and lunch menus, but with his own twist. According to the New Yorker, 'Oscar's version of eggs benedict substituted ham for bacon and a toasted English muffin for toasted bread' – a change Benedict himself wasn't keen on, claiming: 'English muffins are unpalatable, no matter how much they are toasted or how they are served.' Millions have disagreed since. The national drink: pina colada Just the thought of this creamy, tropical cocktail brings to mind golden beaches and sun loungers – which is fitting, because the pina colada was first created at the beachside Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1954. The hotel's bartender, Ramon 'Monchito' Marrero, was experimenting with a new recipe that blended rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice with ice. After spending three months perfecting his creation, he named it the pina colada, which means 'strained pineapple' in Spanish, and began serving it at the hotel's Beachcomber Bar. The pina colada became so popular that in 1978 it was named the official drink of Puerto Rico. Today, it remains among the most requested cocktails the world over. An intergalactic treat: the DoubleTree cookieBarron Hilton, the hotel group's late chairman and CEO, used to speak passionately about the company's vision of a Lunar Hilton, which would one day welcome guests on the moon. It hasn't quite happened yet, but for Hilton's 100th anniversary in 2019, the company found an innovative way to bring its hospitality to space. DoubleTree hotels are known for the warm chocolate chip cookies given to guests on arrival (more than 30m are eaten every year), and in January 2020, the cookies became the first food ever to be baked in space. On the International Space Station, astronauts used a prototype Zero G Kitchen oven to prepare a test batch of the cookies, made with oats, flour, semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Their experiments produced perfect cookies, just like the ones at DoubleTree hotels. The next big drink? Simia sour In 2020, Pernod Ricard, owner of Monkey 47 gin, partnered with Hilton to host a digital cocktail competition across Europe, the Middle East and Africa to find the hotel brand's 'next big thing'. A mixologist at the Cloud 9 Sky Bar & Lounge in Hilton Prague created the winning entry, simia sour, inspired by the Earth's tropical rainforests and exotic wildlife. It contains Monkey 47 dry gin, egg white foam, a refreshing twist of fresh lime juice and cranberry juice for the 'perfect sour taste', and is shaken over ice and served in a martini glass. It is now on the menu in 350 Hilton hotels across 29 countries. Press 9 for … room service The Waldorf-Astoria isn't just known for its culinary firsts – it also pioneered the concept of room service, so guests didn't even need to leave the comfort of their rooms to eat. When the art deco hotel opened on New York's Fifth Avenue in 1893 (the hotel's original site became the Empire State Building), it offered an immediately popular innovation: room service to cater to the privacy demands of its VIP guests. The idea of world-class cuisine brought straight to your room soon caught on at hotels around the world. To check out some of Hilton's top culinary offerings, see below or book direct at and save on your stay. Join Hilton Honors for free and save up to 20%* in the Hilton Sale, now on. *Terms and conditions apply. Must be a Hilton Honors Member.
The Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Michelin-trained chef creates ‘wild' new ice cream flavour – & insists odd combo ‘works' – would YOU try it?
A RISING kitchen star has created a potato ice cream — topped with bits of bacon. Michelin -trained Poppy O'Toole, 31, is touting the sweet-meets-savoury version and insists: 'It works!' 2 2 The self-titled 'Potato Queen' of the internet mixes Maris Piper spuds with condensed milk, double cream, vanilla and salt to make the no-churn treat. She suggests adding pieces of maple bacon or crispy potato sticks to complete the offering. Poppy, who has 5.5 million internet followers, said: 'People might know me for my roasties, but now it's time for potato-based desserts to enter the chat. 'Sounds a bit wild, I know — but trust me, it works. I love showing how everyday ingredients can surprise you.' Poppy, of Bromsgrove, Worcs, added: 'Maris Pipers give it that velvety, creamy texture while keeping the sweetness in check, and topped with a bit of maple bacon or potato sticks . . . you're in summery dessert heaven.' Savoury ice creams are gaining popularity, with chefs experimenting with ingredients such as olive oil, miso and beetroot in sweet and salty pairings. Poppy has linked up with Ocado to market hers. A spokesman said the recipe showed unusual flavour combinations can create 'bold, surprising takes on everyday classics'. It added: 'It's fun, unexpected, easy to make and delicious.' 3 ingredients are all you need to whip up an Italian showstopper
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MIFB Partners with MalaysiaPCA to Launch Gastronomic Sensory Hub
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Malaysia's most influential F&B trade fair, the Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair (MIFB), has announced a landmark collaboration with the Malaysian Professional Culinaire Association (MalaysiaPCA) for 2025. Setting a new benchmark for experiential trade engagement in Malaysia's F&B industry, this year's edition marks the launch of the Gastronomic Sensory Hub, an experiential zone where culinary innovation and strategic business matchmaking converge. Built in consultation with exhibitors and curated by chefs, the Hub reimagines the traditional trade floor by transforming it into a living kitchen theatre; where product sourcing meets gastronomy, and every dish tells a story of Malaysian excellence and global readiness. "Our collaboration with MIFB reflects a shared mission to elevate Malaysia's culinary excellence on the world stage," said Chef Soon Pau Voon, Secretary General of MalaysiaPCA. "Through the Gastronomic Sensory Hub, we aim to inspire, train, and showcase the next generation of culinary innovators and reinforce Malaysia's place as a rising force in global gastronomy." Organised by Constellar and set to take place from 30 July to 1 August 2025 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, MIFB 2025 will host over 500 exhibitors from more than 50 countries, and is expected to attract over 12,000 industry professionals. Set against the theme "Future-Ready F&B: Serving the Evolution of Trends," the fair comes at a time when Malaysian consumers are demanding healthier, tastier food with clearer sourcing and production details. MIFB is answering that call with immersive, trend-led experiences instead of static exhibition booths. Created with input from exhibitors and chefs, the Gastronomic Sensory Hub gives buyers something they rarely get on the trade floor: the chance to see, taste, and test ingredients under real conditions. It features: Live cooking demos using exhibitor products; Ingredient application tests for chefs and food service professionals; Pop-up fine dining experiences to showcase product storytelling; and Knowledge-sharing sessions with award-winning culinary teams "Beyond giving exhibitors a voice, it's also about giving buyers an experience they will remember," said Bruno Thong, Portfolio Director of MIFB. "We want to show buyers, from restaurateurs to grocers, how an ingredient performs on the plate, not just on paper. That's what makes the Gastronomic Sensory Hub a game changer." Malaysian Culinary Stars in the Spotlight The Hub will spotlight Malaysia's top culinary talents including: Chef Ikhwan A star of Malaysia's fine dining movement, Chef Ikhwan merges European technique with Malaysian soul. He led the team to a Silver medal at the IKA Culinary Olympics 2024 and a Gold at the FHA Culinary Challenge 2022. Now leading Daun & Co and serving as Sous Chef at Hotel Renaissance KL, he will be headlining live demonstrations throughout MIFB. MalaysiaPCA National Culinary Team Fresh off a Silver medal win at the FHA National Team Challenge 2025, the team features chefs from Taylor's University, Hilton KL, Le Meridien, APCA, MIB College, and more, all bringing cutting-edge creativity and world-class technical finesse to the stage. Whether you are a chef, manufacturer, distributor, or retailer, MIFB 2025 is where the next chapter of Malaysian F&B will be written, driven by a shared vision with MalaysiaPCA, innovative showcases from local brands, and a deep understanding of evolving customer expectations. MIFB 2025, organised by Constellar, is now open for exhibitor and buyer registration at About MIFB Organised by Constellar, the Malaysian International Food and Beverage Trade Fair (MIFB) stands as Malaysia's premier food and beverage trade event, dedicated to facilitating connections at every stage of the supply chain to connect, network, and collaborate from upstream to downstream solutions. As the name 'Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair' suggests, MIFB brings together international exhibitors to meet local industry players, creating invaluable opportunities for global exporters seeking to establish business connections within the broader Malaysian market. Through MIFB, international and local F&B players converge to explore innovative solutions and drive industry growth. About Constellar Constellar is Asia's preferred partner for convening businesses, curating ideas and creating opportunities for sustainable business growth and global impact. Based in Singapore with a regional footprint in Malaysia, we curate and develop influential trade and consumer events for key industries and sectors, connecting people, global marketplaces and networks for sustainable growth. We also manage the Singapore EXPO, Singapore's largest purpose-built venue for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE). Our vision is to be a global leader made in Asia, activating impactful networks to enable cross-industry collaboration and innovation through our holistic portfolio of intellectual properties in the MICE industry. Visit for more information. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Constellar Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
27-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Disfrutar Innovated To Become The World's Best Restaurant
Disfrutar awarded World's Best Restaurant in 2024, and their fried eggs with flavored, colored ... More centers Disfrutar, the restaurant from the partner team of Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, and Mateu Casañas, for the past year has reigned as the 'The Number One Restaurant in The World'. The award bestowed by 'The World's Best Restaurants' is chosen by 1,100 restaurant experts from around the world. That recognition was achieved that through hard work, tremendous creativity, iteration, challenging conventional notions about the entire restaurant experience, and constant questioning by every employee. The trio worked together for over 15 years at El Bulli, 5-time winner of the World's Best Restaurant Award, located near Roses on Catalonia magnificent Costa Brava. Disfrutar is a model of innovation for any business in any sector. The constant quest to be in the vanguard is a self-imposed pressure that ensures constant innovation and the search for new culinary concepts. I wrote about Disfrutar in Forbes in 2017, and it's been fascinating to follow how it rose to number 1 globally. Logos of Disfrutar and Compartir restaurants in Barcelona The trio's first restaurant, Compartir, which means to share, opened in Cadaques on the Costa Brava in 2012. The idea was to serve sharable plates of regional dishes prepared with modern techniques. Disfrutar opened in Barcelona in December 2014, extending the groundbreaking creativity and innovation of Ferran Adrià and El Bulli. Disfrutar's goal was first and foremost, to create a dining experience guests would enjoy, hence the name, which means to enjoy in Spanish. For the past 17 years, since reading the Harvard Business School Case El Bulli: A Taste of Innovation when it was written in 2008, and teaching it in MBA and Executive MBA programs ever since, I've been struck by how much businesses of all types can learn. What follows are Disfrutar's inspiring and instructive examples. The special "living table" at Disfrutar designed by Merche Alcalá. The Entire Organization Is Empowered To Innovate Beyond the exceptional food and artistic presentations Disfrutar and Compartir are known for, every detail of the experience has created opportunities to excel. Each department (cook, service, wait staff, creativity, design, media & comms, human resources, admin, consulting, student collaborators, and its design agencies) are empowered to constantly innovate. A prime example is the special 'Living Table' - a dining table conceived by the design studio Merche Alcalá with 40 compartments that open from the top, to reveal beautiful plant arrangements and dishes. Chart with all the elements that go into an exceptional meal The diagram above, titled 'What's Behind the Menu', was created with input from Disfrutar team members and loyal customers and is a visual reminder of all the elements that go into creating an entire restaurant experience. It can be adopted and adapted by innovation teams in different industries. The graphic encourages teams to think more broadly about all the ways they can both innovate and that their products are perceived by end users. For Disfrutar, the elements include technique, creativity, emotions, memories, flavors, sensations, stimulation, knowledge, fun, and much more. Disfrutar's mission to constantly develop major new food, presentation, and experience concepts, requires an organizational mindset to always be on the hunt, and to look outside the food sector and Spain for unconventional ideas. Disfrutar collaborates with students from Barcelona's Massana and EINA Schools of Design, many of whom study jewelry design, for unique presentation vessels, cutlery, and serving utensils. Aside from the land and sea throughout Catalonia which are huge sources of inspiration, Oriol, Eduard and Mateu travel to countries including Japan, Greece, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, and Singapore to discover new ingredients, cooking techniques and equipment that have been used in a kitchen before in Spain. Once a month, the chef Oscar Albiñana shares new products he's found throughout the food industry. The Korean OCOO pressure double boiler being used to transform cauliflower in color and flavor Equipment traditionally used for one purpose can be applied to create new dishes like Disfrutar's Black Cauliflower that uses an OCOO pressure double boiler using the setting for 'aged eggs' (aka thousand-year-old eggs or century eggs). After many hours, the cauliflower develops balsamic flavor notes and a soft texture, yet maintains its original shape. The team iterated varying the number of hours the cauliflower cooked until the desired taste and appearance were achieved. Fried eggs with basil, tomato and squid ink flavored centers Always Asking Questions And Challenging The Status Quo The Disfrutar team constantly asks how things can be done differently. Ingredients are subjected to different cooking processes, and familiar processes are applied to atypical ingredients. Questions are asked like: - Why must an egg yolk only be yellow and contain only yolk? - Why can't a yolk be combined with other ingredients like pesto, tomato or squid ink and be red, green, or black? - Can a different round ingredient be fried on top of an egg white, besides a yolk? - How can a piece of equipment used for one preparation, be used to transform another ingredient? - Why must butter always be smooth, yellow, and solid? Why can't it be full of aerated bubbles that when cold, melt before your eyes at room temperature? - Why must cooked leeks be soft? Why can't they be stiff batons, that are crunchy and brittle and used for dipping? Different Types of Innovation Ten years ago I was inspired by the way the El Bulli team innovated to write my book, Catalyzing Innovation, that identifies 64 different ways companies can innovate strategically, with 1,100 cross-sector, global examples. Many of what I identified in the book as 'innovation lines of thinking' are used by the Disfrutar team. Fried donut filled with caviar and sour cream Both Disfrutar and Compartir serve a remarkable warm donut filled with cold caviar and sour cream. It's both indulgent, delicious, comforting, and familiar, and every bite is savored. Metallic looking egg yolks made with edible gold, silver and copper Disfrutar makes what look like egg yolks, and colors them with edible gold, silver, dark silver, and copper to create shiny, metallic looking orbs that ooze like a runny egg yolk when cut with a fork. Spheres of corn flavored purée encapsulated and fused to look like corn on the cob Analogizing is a favorite line of thinking for the Disfrutar team, like the example above that looks like corn on the cob. One of El Bulli's most famous food concepts was spherical olives. A sodium alginate membrane encapsulated an intense green olive purée that burst in your mouth with flavor. Disfrutar evolved the technique to create 'multi-spherification'. In this dish, individual small orbs with intensely flavored corn purée inside are placed in small molds where they adhere to each other like corn kernels on a cob. Freeze dried calçot, like leeks, that are transformed from soft to brittle sticks for dipping Braised leek-like calçot, a winter time favorite in Catalonia, are turned into crispy batons through freeze-drying. They're dipped in a unique variation of Catalonia's iconic romesco sauce. The calçot are 'plated' on newspaper, which is how they're typically served in the country-side during harvest season. Flavored, colored butter-like spreads with an aerated texture In place of typical, smooth butter to spread on bread, Disfrutar creates flavored, aerated, cylindrical shaped fats ranging from pistachio oil, to cocoa butter, and Iberico Ham fat that melt before your eyes at room temperature. It plays with texture, taste, mouthfeel, aroma, appearance, and emotions associated with butter. "Spherified" pea necklace surrounding squid Constant Iteration On Concepts And Scaling Them Once a major new concept is developed, like 'spherification', it can be applied in a number of different ways (similar to the way Apple might apply their iOS operating system to different device types). The 'spherification' concept has been applied to pea-size colored spheres, miniature caviar-like pearls, ravioli size, and egg yolk sizes as previously mentioned. Key Learnings There is so much to learn from Disfrutar. In some ways, it's easier to innovate with food compared to other industries because the costs and capital investment are not as prohibitive, and experimentation can be faster and more varied. Based on studying Oriol, Eduard and Mateu's methods, my advice to companies in virtually every sector, from automotive, to fashion, hotels, consumer package goods, and financial services is to: - Look to other sectors and countries beyond the obvious, to benchmark how analagous problems are dealt with - Empower the entire organization with a mindset of constant questioning and reinvention - Push your organization to explore different innovation lines of thinking vs. the usual, like making experiences more multi-sensory, varying materials, colors, shapes, product forms, distribution methods, presentation and merchandising, and business models - Give significant thought from the beginning of product development to how the innovations can be scaled and extended
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Wendy's launches new burger across Canada
Published: | Updated: Wendy's Canada is introducing a new menu item – the Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger that will be available for a limited time in restaurants across the country beginning Monday, May 19. The Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger features a quarter pound of fresh, never frozen Canadian beef topped with caramelized onions, creamy mayo, and a melty cheese slice made with Canadian dairy, all served between even more cheese with two grilled cheese sandwiches as buns. A brand first, the Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger is only available at Wendy's restaurants across Canada and is a unique twist on a classic, designed to deliver maximum flavor and satisfy even the most serious cheese lovers. Whether it's a mid-day craving or late-night treat, the Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger is available for dine-in, carryout and delivery. 'At Wendy's, we're passionate about bringing bold flavors and memorable experiences to our fans and introducing new customers to our fresh, famous food,' said Hayley Kianoff, Manager, International Culinary Innovation, The Wendy's Company. 'This year marks 50 years of Wendy's in Canada, and to celebrate we're giving Canadians the first taste of our new Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger, which is crafted with cheesy, juicy quality in every single bite.' And, in anticipation of the summer heat, Wendy's Canada will offer $1.99 small beverages, including the Frosty Fizz, Frosty-ccino and Iced Coffee, from May 26 to June 29. New for this summer, customers can also customize their Frosty-ccino or Iced Coffees with three flavor additions: vanilla, chocolate or caramel. The limited-time releases bring together two of Canadians' favorite cravings—melty grilled cheese and juicy cheeseburgers—paired with a variety of refreshing iced and fizzy drinks at an unbeatable price. Place an order in-restaurant or through the Wendy's Mobile app. Plus, if you order through the Wendy's app, you can earn Wendy's Rewards points to score free food! Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Visit our profile page and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.
