FOOD & BEVERAGE TRENDS
a foot long Chicken Tender sandwich, served hot dog style in a steak roll topped with beer cheese, Hot and Spicy Cheez- It crackers and Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. It sounds crazy but the combination of sweet, spicy and crunch all worked so well together and the fans loved it,” says Levy Chef Nick Skarda. TRANSFORMATIONAL VS. INGREDIENT-BASED WORK AND HIGH VS. LOW Settembre describes her role working with branded foodservice as “creating food that will work for fast food, fast casual or it could be a stadium. Transformational means taking a Cheez-It and changing it into something different, like the Taco Bell Cheezy Tostada. But for the walking Cheez-It, that’s taking the product and adding something to it.” The giant Cheez-It idea with Taco Bell was actually deceptively simple from a development standpoint. “It sounds really simple, doesn’t it?” Settembre says. “To make a Cheez-It that’s bigger? But it took a long time because of different hurdles. New dies had to be cut and it took a lot of people to bring it together.” Foie gras on a buttery toasted Eggo waffle is an example of the high-low dynamic that Settembre finds is a great conversation starter at events. Other examples include a wine and Cheez- It pairing, Cheez-It crusted lobster and caviar on Pringles. Looking ahead, she’s hoping to get into the seductive, smoky world of barbecue. “I live in Texas, but I don’t smoke meat,” she says. Meanwhile, Skarda has been getting interested in Japanese techniques and flavors. “The precision in preparing fish and rice is incredible, and I’d love to refine my skills in sushi-making, dumplings, and house-made noodles. One day, I’d love to make everything from scratch and dive deeper into those methods,” he says. And who knows, maybe dumplings stuffed with, dare we say, a Cheez-It filling, isn’t far behind!
much, and also the fairy floss (Australian for cotton candy). It was a really big deal for me to get that. I was so fascinated by how they’d form it, I’d watch for hours!” SPINNING PRODUCTS AND IDEAS INTO COLLABS Settembre, senior manager of culinary innovation for Kellanova Away From Home, has been fascinated with the process of culinary magic and new twists on classic snacks ever since, and especially now in her role as a guiding force into making viral, instantly iconic moments and collaborations for Kellanova. Her creative process now resembles the shape-shifting nature of that fairy floss spinner, with collaborators like Levy. When Settembre started working with Skarda and Levy chefs for themed bowl games earlier in the year (Pop- Tarts and Cheez-It), she brought her own ideas to the table, “here’s my list, let me see your list, and then, let’s talk through what can be executed when they prepare it,” she says. Skarda, like all great creative minds, places high value on the brainstorming bit of the process.
“The Pop-Tarts and Cheez-It Bowl Games were a perfect example of how collaboration can lead to something amazing,” he says. “We brought together our culinary teams, combining different perspectives and expertise to create dishes that weren’t just fun but also practical for a stadium setting. We started by brainstorming bold ideas, then took them into the kitchen to test what worked.” Some “instant hits” included Walking Cheez-It Nachos and the Pop-Tarts Parfait, while others didn’t make the cut. “But that’s the creative process — playing, tasting, refining — until we land on something that excites fans and enhances their game-day experience. It is absolutely incredible to see the fans reactions, and quite possibly my favorite part of the job.” Settembre agrees. “The fun part is when we get into the kitchen to try it, and then things change usually,” she says. “Like, that looked really good on paper, but it didn’t eat so good. Or vice versa.” “A great item we did which turned some heads at the Cheez-it Bowl was the Swicy Cheez-it Bird Dog, which was
QUARTERLY | Q3
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