Chefs Prioritize Local Sourcing, Fresh Ingredients

Local sourcing serves as a top culinary trend, say panelists of July’s Chefs’ Perspectives virtual roundtable, hosted by FER and RATIONAL. The group of chefs, who came from independent restaurant, lodging or university foodservice segments, talked through the theme food and menu trends. Leaning into seasonal menu items, updating beverage offerings and advocating for traditional food preparation also came up.

The following marks a closer look at highlights from the event, geared toward helping chefs navigate the future of foodservice.

Guests continue to demand local ingredients. Chefs answer the call in multiple ways. “We’ve been doing this Straight To Your Plate collection, where each month we go to a different farmer or a hyper-local food venue and partner with them,” says Jonathan Gutierrez of Grand Geneva Resort & Spa. “We add a special for each of our restaurants and outlets, and we showcase what that farmer or that entrepreneur works with day by day and all their passion.”

Zak Dolezal of Duke’s Alehouse and Kitchen and Randy Hoppman of Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa credit farmers on the menu. “We’ve been doing farm-to-table and supporting local since we reopened in 2008,” Dolezal says. “It’s been nice to see how that movement has really blossomed. We see more restaurants letting farmers have a place on the menu and be part of the process. People are asking about the ingredients in their food and (it’s important to have) some traceability and accountability.”

Hoppman offered an update on Eagle Ridge’s new microgreens-growing cabinet. “It’s right out in our dining room, so the bartenders can go pick the fresh herbs,” he says. “For 365 days a year, we’re going to have flowers, sprouts and some greens, too.” Right now, the team is growing lemon balm and several varieties of basil to start.

Fresh, seasonal ingredients provide menu inspiration. Two panelists, Nana Darkwah of the Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach and Erik Walker of Arts & Central, operate in Florida, which can be a tough region to grow food. Darkwah looks to the seasons for menu ideas. “We change our menus at least two or three times a year, to give guests fresh products,” Darkwah says. “When people come on the property, they can eat at each outlet and have different foods. It’s not the same thing at every place.”

Walker also looks to the seasons but will sometimes do his take on menu items he sees online or at other restaurants. “We actually roasted a watermelon,” he says as one example. “We brushed it with a little bit of like a soy glaze. It looked almost exactly like tuna. It really feeds to the vegan crowd.” He adds that, to accommodate a fresh produce-heavy menu, the team converted a walk-in freezer into extra walk-in cooler space at Arts & Central, which opened in early 2024.

Specialty beverages and nonalcoholic options cater to the younger generation. Students at the University of Houston enjoy trendy drinks, Benito Gavirio says. “We have a line of about six drinks, from hibiscus tropical boba to mango mint habanero to our best-selling Cougar Punch, which is the university drink, which is strawberry cherry boba,” Gavirio says. Students can try the drinks at different on-campus events, including monthly pop-up farmers markets in one of the dining halls.

Duke’s has noticed nonalcoholic and THC-infused drinks take off, Dolezal says. “We’ve definitely seen a big change in the drinking crowd, especially with (the younger generation),” he says. “Being a bar and restaurant with live music, we rely a lot on those sales, so we’ve had to get creative with that market.” He says with the rise of mocktails, the kitchen is much more involved in the cocktail process, helping to puree ingredients and infuse flavors into drinks.

Looking to the future of foodservice, panelists talked through the addition of robots as well as the increased awareness of food additives. It’ll be up to chefs, many panelists agree, to promote traditional cooking methods and real ingredients.

Chefs’ Perspectives July 2025 Panelists

• Vinnie Cimino, Chef/Partner, Cordelia, Cleveland
• Nana Darkwah, Executive Chef, Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, Clearwater Beach, Fla.
• Zak Dolezal, Chef/Owner, Duke’s Alehouse and Kitchen, Crystal Lake, Ill.
• Benito Gavirio, Campus Senior Executive Chef, University of Houston Dining System, Houston
• Jonathan Gutierrez, Executive Chef, Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Lake Geneva, Wis.
• Randy Hoppman, Executive Chef, Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, Galena, Ill.
• Erik Walker, Executive Chef, Arts & Central, Sarasota, Fla.

Hosts:

• Billy Buck, Vice President of Culinary (US), RATIONAL USA, Rolling Meadows, Ill.
• Allison Rezendes, Chief Content Officer, Foodservice Equipment Reports, Jupiter, Fla.