Pasta Is Back on the Menu

Pasta of every shape and size took a big hit in the last several decades. Thanks to the Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, Paleo Diet, the rise of (real and perceived) Gluten Intolerance, and, possibly surprising to you, because of rising seafood costs and chicken fatigue.

No more Chicken Parmesan, please!

The future is bright for pasta dishes.

Despite a decline of pasta dishes on restaurant menus in years past, we predict you will see more pasta back on the menu soon. Here’s our thinking.

One – While seafood costs in many categories are up, the strength of the U.S. dollar has attributed to the US importing about 90% of the seafood consumed here currently, according to Mel Carrasquillo, the Regional Brands Manager of Santa Monica Seafood. “On the negative side, this is decreasing our fishermen’s export capability, but the silver lining is more seafood staying here,” Mel said.

Two – Scientific research is showing that gluten intolerance is less common than once thought. Only 1% of the American population actually has Celiac, and restaurants have slowed efforts to provide gluten-free menu items because it’s plain not profitable.

Three – And, once again, extreme dieting has proven difficult to sustain.

Told ya!

Chefs like us are delighted that pasta is back. We believe…

• Pasta is a blank canvas. It’s a good carrier for most all flavors.
• For those interested in running a “green” business and “eating green and clean” that means less meat. Pasta is filler that minimizes the carbon footprint.
• Pasta is an incredible way to incorporate more vegetables into a dish and meet nutritional requirements.
• As ethnic foods continue to become more popular, we’ll see more Asian noodle dishes come on the scene, which is evident by the increasing number of ramen and pho restaurants in most markets (more than 1500 noodle shops listed on Yelp in Denver…and counting).

In recent months, the FDR chefs have created dozens of pasta dish recipes for clients (some pictured above), which is further proof that consumers are interested in seeing more pasta back on the menu.