FALL 2010

Redefining RUSTIC

By Katie Ayoub

Produce is at the heart of well-loved,homestyle recipes with a rustic accent

Rustic means closer to the earth — honest and straightforward food,” says Tim Soufan, director of innovation and executive corporate chef of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, which operates more than 900 domestic T.G.I. Friday’s units. “Rustic food is food that diners long for.”

“Back to rustic is a huge trend right now,” affirms Christopher Koetke, dean of the School of Culinary Arts, Kendall College, Chicago, and vice president, culinary arts, of Laureate International Universities network. “It’s about showcasing local products and recipes. It’s about specialties — maybe a succotash, but with local beans or a variety of local corn — or a strawberry shortcake with strawberries from a farmer with whom you have a relationship.”

Other industry experts also have tagged rustic cuisine as one to watch. At the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education’s annual Leadership Conference this past June, Tim Ryan, president of the Culinary Institute of America, advised foodservice folks to give credence to “flavor, service, accessibility and making the ordinary extraordinary.”

And, at the American Culinary Federation’s Central Regional Conference in Indianapolis this past March, Gerry Ludwig, consulting chef at Gordon Food Service (and contributing editor to this publication) cited casualization as an industry-wide phenomenon, describing “upscale flavor with humble ingredients.” That defines today’s take on rustic fare to a tee.

Rustic favorites perhaps are best expressed through fruits and vegetables: fritters, pies, crumbles, soups and gratins. Chefs switch out the produce depending on seasonality, coaxing out natural flavors through roasting, caramelizing and flavor combining. Their dishes remain recognizable but sing with originality.

They transport diners on a nostalgic flavor journey that leads to an unforgettable new destination. Instead of a faded black and white, the chefs reinterpret taste in flavorful Technicolor.

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