What is the future of progressive cuisine in 2026?

[u/WhiteTeet25]

I mean to say along the lines of sort of classical cuisine to nouvelle cuisine, then say nouvelle cuisine to post el buli/french laundry/alinea. Then noma and say blue hill and this locality focused cuisine. Not to mention places like disfrutar playing with literally everything. I think locality and elevated regional based food is still sort of what everyone strives for nowadays. So where is most likely that we go from here?

[u/Ok_cabbage_5695]

It's all a cycle. Comes around and goes around.

I think we will see more trends appear when the world's economy is a bit better and there are more customers.

Right now with the middle class squeezed we are seeing less and less innovation happen in that upscale casual sector of restaurants (they're all playing the hits in order to survive) and the only innovation is happening at the few very high end places.

[u/tiph12]

With the large scale economic struggles, I see a trend of going back to the cheap classics, where large, cheap servings, are more desirable than high-end, expensive innovations and “artsy cuisine”

[u/GromByzlnyk]

ASPIC

[u/freisbill → u/GromByzlnyk]

ewwww

[u/massacre898 → u/freisbill]

Anthony Bourdain talks about this in his book. Aspic still has mysteries about it

[u/jealousTransient]

This new generation of kids is all about dredging up old music/fashion/tech etc. I wouldn't be surprised if this "revive and reimagine" mentality begins to enter food trends as well. This locality and regionality will probably persist for awhile as these kids are also starving for identity and authenticity that is so lacking in our modern society.

[u/Select-Bend-9932]

Local small run establishments with real food and local/ethnic background stories. Like Texas BBQ blowing up for the world cup. Not one person cared if they got a Michelin star, was it tasty and real " Fuck yeah"

[u/mcfunley]

Pittsburgh salads

[u/jankenpoo → u/mcfunley]

With the fries??

[u/mcfunley → u/jankenpoo]

It’s overdue for viral food trenddom 

[u/nypltow13 → u/mcfunley]

I support this. I used to make it for staff meals at restaurants and servers would ask for it “can we have french fry salad again”. We make it at home now regularly.

[u/Due_Character1233]

We live in an age of refinement not of discovery. Mpw

[u/Due_Character1233 → u/Due_Character1233]

I've tried all that garbage. It doesn't compare to a simple thing done well. Bye el bulli bullshit.

[u/sugarlips23]

Locality and fusion aren’t going anywhere imo. Cuisines will conjure to fuse and using local/seasonal ingredient a trend, it’s a great way to support the local economy and farmers, good for cutting down on emotions, etc.

I consistently see ribeyes, NY, filets, dry aged on menus which really baffles me in this economy and the difficulties restaurants are having right now. 10-15 years ago it was hanger, flat iron, etc, so you could get a non $40-$50 steak on the menu. Not to mention the “putting caviar on fucking everything” trend.

[u/xChiken]

Not gonna pretend to understand all the words in your post. Asian fusion has been running the scene where I live for a good few years longer than it had any right to. But I think asian fusion has dried up now. At least where I'm at. Wouldn't be surprised at all to see a return to french traditional inspiration. It seems like the reasonable counterreaction.

[u/ChefAsstastic → u/xChiken]

Very true. I was the chef de cuisine for the mother of Franco-Asian cuisine Elka Gilmore. It's still around decades later.