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Article Excerpt
Mushrooms are indeed mushrooming in their mentions on restaurant menus. According to information from Food Beat 2008, a market research firm based in Wheaton, IL, as supplied by the San lose, Ca-based Mushroom Council, 77 percent of the Top 200 restaurant chains now have mushrooms on their menus. Bart Minor, Mushroom Council president says, "These references highlight mushroom's versatility and cross every foodservice segment from Italian to Mexican and from every part of the menu from burgers and pizzas to entrees and salads."
This trend looks like it is here to stay. Specialty mushrooms were ranked among the Top 10 hottest produce items by 1,600 American Culinary Federation-member chefs from across the nation in the Washington, DC-based National Restaurant Association's 2008 "What's Hot, What's Not" survey.
What's driving this trend? Flavor is one factor. Fred Recchiuti, general manager for Basciani Mushroom Farms, headquartered in Avondale, PA, points out, "Mushrooms have umami, what we call the 'fifth' taste after salty, sweet sour and bitter. Umami is most often described as a savory, brothy, rich or meaty taste sensation. Other foods such as aged cheese and meat also have umami. That's what makes a Mushroom Cheddar Cheese Burger so popular; it combines three foods with umami tastes."
Another factor is cost. Recchiuti adds, "We're seeing operators use more mushrooms and less meat. In other words, they're reducing or replacing the protein in a dish with mushrooms. Mushrooms provide great plate cover and presentation while lowering food costs, and that's vitally important to foodservice operators today."
What's Hot
According to Mike Reed, director of sales for the western region for Monterey Mushrooms Inc., in Watsonville, CA, the mainstay in foodservice applications "is the White button mushroom. It's definitely the most popular and highest volume-seller."
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Kevin Donovan, national sales manager for Phillips Mushrooms Farms LP, headquartered in Kennett...
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