Flavor & The Menu

14/09/2026

Middle Eastern flavors shine in the Hejaz Railway. This global riff on the classic sidecar taps tahini for silky texture, marjoram for earthy depth and a line of za'atar for a bold finish that evokes the cocktail's namesake railway.

Learn how St. Louis cocktail lounge None of the Above created and perfected this one-of-a-kind sip: https://www.getflavor.com/levant-to-arabia-libation/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bof_hejaz_railway/

05/09/2026

Unpeeling bananas’ menu potential 🍌

Ruby Slipper Restaurant Group is all about bananas. Last year, the sister brands, Ruby Slipper & Ruby Sunshine, served banana pudding-filled beignets; this year, they pulled doubled duty with Banana Cloud Beignets (pictured left), featuring banana whipped mascarpone, as well as an Iced Banana Cream Latte (pictured right), which blends in on-trend banana milk.

Get the latest State of the Plate by Nancy Kruse:

From novel drinks and savory dishes to new takes on classics like bananas Foster, America's favorite fruit is becoming a menu power player.

04/09/2026

Chimichurri is gaining fresh momentum as operators look for bright, herb-driven global flavors that modernize familiar builds.

Its clean, green profile delivers instant lift, prompting more restaurants to explore new ways to let it shine—and leverage it as a menu differentiator.

Learn more: https://www.getflavor.com/bright-bold-and-ready-for-prime-time/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=chimichurri/

04/09/2026

03/09/2026

Andy Seiple discovered his professional calling as a teenager on a trip to Peru, where he fell hard for the culinary arts, chasing passion and R&D perfection.

Today, the corporate executive chef of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill says he’s still addicted to that chase. He made good use of this drive in his Kitchen Collaborative–winning dish, which turns steak frites into a global, shareable flatbread. "I wanted to make something good and craveable—and a little different," Seiple remarks. "Who would put french fries on flatbread?"

Get the details: https://www.getflavor.com/kc-flavor-champion-andy-seiple/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=KC_Seiple/

26/08/2026

Move over, Blood Mary, and make way for a new class of veggie cocktails. 🍸

Whether herbaceous and sweet or earthy and spice-forward, these inventive libations are tapping ingredients from the garden to truly flavorful effect.

Here, two such builds from this year's Best of Flavor go head-to-head in a flavor face-off: http://getflavor.com/flavor-face-off-how-two-veg-forward-cocktails-compare/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=flavor_face_off/

17/08/2026

The high-impact fruit behind the Pornstar Martini 🍸

With a built-in balance of flavor and texture, passionfruit is finding new menu relevance. Perhaps nowhere is its growing familiarity more apparent than behind the bar, driven in part by the increasingly popular passionfruit-forward Pornstar Martini. But new applications are emerging across multiple categories as passionfruit pairs beautifully with heat, dark chocolate, coconut and other assertive flavors.

Get the latest Flavors on the Edge: https://www.getflavor.com/flavors-on-the-edge-passionfruit/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fote_passionfruit

30/07/2026

In the fiercely competitive breakfast and brunch space, Snooze, an A.M. Eatery boasts a finely honed menu strategy. Rather than chase flash-in-the-pan trends or roll out equally fleeting LTOs, the brand deftly balances innovation with ex*****on across its nearly 70-unit system.

Here, Erin Hess, culinary R&D manager, shares which flavors are top of mind, how to temper creativity with operational reality and why dirty soda fits the Snooze menu: https://www.getflavor.com/flavor-trailblazer-erin-hess/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=trailblazer_hess

20/07/2026

For long-time participant and first-time Kitchen Collaborative winner Christian Hallowell, senior director of R&D for Bloomin'​ Brands, Inc., it's important to keep the hero ingredient top of mind when building concepts.

His refined Al Bronzo Orecchiette with Fennel Lamb, Broccoli Rabe & Parmigiano makes the pasta the star through thoughtful curation of the supporting players. "When you allow each ingredient to play its role, the dish almost tells you where it wants to go," he says.

Read on: https://www.getflavor.com/kc-flavor-champion-christian-hallowell/

10/07/2026

With a rich texture and refreshing tang, labneh is a cornerstone ingredient across the Eastern Mediterranean.

Traditionally served as a dip or spread, labneh is now finding fresh relevance stateside as chefs leverage its versatility across shareables, baked goods, brunch dishes, sauces and even desserts.

Read on for five fresh restaurant offerings that prove labneh's status as a menu MVP: https://www.getflavor.com/flavors-on-the-edge-labneh/