National Food Days are designated days throughout the year when specific foods or types of cuisine are celebrated and enjoyed. These days are often used to promote particular dishes, ingredients, or culinary traditions.

While the origins of National Sandwich Day may not be well-documented, it has become a lighthearted and enjoyable celebration of a beloved food that holds a special place in the hearts and stomachs of many Americans. It’s an opportunity to savor and experiment with the endless variety of sandwiches that can be found in restaurant menus around the world.

That said, let’s gather some US insights: Sandwich appears in about 70% of Menus. And according to AI MenuCast “the AI-powered tool that uses F&B industry data to help bring products to life faster..” sandwich is projected to experience a decrease of -2% by 2027.

Speaking of Sandwich Varieties, looking at the Menus at VE Hospitality Group (VEHG) while keeping up with current trends, we combined Datassential data & our menus.

Growing in Preferences: BAO
Currently in 2% of US Menus
Predicted growth 2.7% by 2027
Where in VEHG: PaperFish Sushi Bar

Latino & Interesante: Ropa Vieja
While in only 0.6% of menus in US
Ropa Vieja is predicted to grow 22% thru 2027
Where in VEHG: Cortadito Coffee House.

One Classic: Reuben
10 years ago was in 20% of the menus
Today is 16.9%& while not growing much,
Everybody knows its name.
Where on VEHG: News Cafe.

The One to Like: Cubano
Currently in 2.3% of menus
Prospective growth is 2.8% by 2027
Where on VEHG: Havana 1957, Marabu, Cortadito, Cafe Americano

Morning Champion: Breakfast Sandwich.
It is in 20% of the menus
And will grow to 23% by 2027
Where on VEHG: Cafe Americano, Cortadito

This happened during Vida & Estilo branded day at FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. VE leaders talked about challenges, favorite dishes, how to create a nice vibe at the restaurant, how to work as a team, how to have fun & much more during The Real World Podcast.

Learn about Regional Sales Manager Fabiana’s journey from running the floor to mastering events, Chef Alex Martinez from music to cooking and how his abuela inspired him. Take a listen to Chef Alex Medina words of wisdom to students about fear not and embrace challenges; and listen to the Ratatouille moment, flavor & mind clicking experience the first time Havana 1957 Pembroke Pines General Manager Carlos Proenza tried Pollo Havana. During the podcast VE leaders talk about their background, their favorite dishes, how to balance work – life and the things they wished somebody would have told them when they first started their hospitality voyage.

Check out the podcast on your preferred platform:

Apple

BuzzSprout

SPOTIFY

Google

PaperFish Sushi Bar (Espanola Way) Chef will defend his champion title at the Battle of Sushi during this year’s SOBE Seafood Festival.  

The 11th edition of the weekend-long with lots of fun celebration of all things del mar, including the popular VIP Chef Showdown, is taking place on the beach on the weekend of  October 20th and will feature 24 Chef Battles & a great opportunity for Chefs to innovate & create new dishes to add to their menus at 7pm on Friday.

WANT TO KNOW Why to Visit this Festival? Say no more and READ 5reasonstovisit.com  about SOBE Seafood 11th edition.

Sushi Winner in 2022
During the 10 year of SOBE Seafood Festival, PaperFish Chef Michael  Asalie, delighted the Chef with a Sandwich del Mar creation that consisted of a Tuna Roll with Crab & Avocado, topped with red tobico and bonito flakes.

Ranking among the Best Restaurants in the Travel Guide Tripadvisor, PaperFish Sushi Bar, has currently two locations operating, one in Brickell & one in South Beach and offering  a rich tapestry of flavors, textures & signatures dishes, making it a source of delight and exploration for japanese food enthusiasts in Miami. 

As of 2023 there are over 19K Sushi Restaurants in the US, according to consulting company IbisWorld with a 4% increase since 2022. 

Get Festival Tickets & support PaperFish Chef.
https://sobeseafoodfest.com/

by E. Machado

Looking at 12 months & over 270K guests visits at Cortadito Coffee House between Miami Beach & Coral Gables and specifically for the top two coffee ordered here is what we noticed:  35% of consumers ordered Cafe Con Leche while 20% had a Cortadito.

In the May edition of Food Business News, there is a dedicated ingredient trends story about boosting innovation with coffee & tea by contributing editor Donna Berry. The article provides interesting data about the innovation evolution and new trends that includes healthier options thru ingredients such as organic caffeine from green tea, green coffee & antioxidant boosts.

From feeling awake to part of a daily routine, helping to focus, relieve stress, coffee & tea are part of our daily lives. According to researchers mentioned in the article, natural caffeine has a longer and more consistent effect on mood and mental cognition vs synthetic caffeine while innovators are looking into coffee fruit juice & to include the  entire plant vs just the beans.

Cafe con Leche at Cortadito Coffee House is a go-to breakfast choice with options for milk from whole to almond, coconut & oat & temperature wise, frozen, Iced or hot as a choice.

As of Cortaditos, guests can always choose the type of milk, add extra shots of espresso & sugar or no sugar at all. 

As for recommendations, nothing to look at Cortadito reviews, here is one taken from Lauri N via Yelp that says:  “Chill vibe and great customer service! I ran over to grab some Cuban caffeine and wish I was visiting longer to try amazing looking food. Love the happy ambience- highly recommend a large cortadito with whole milk to get your day started!”

By. E Machado
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Cocktails & Menus.

Every year on March 24th we celebrate National Cocktail Day & today we pair our selections with the four stages of the Menu Adoption Cycle with some restaurant favorites across VE Restaurants in Miami & Las Vegas.

The first definition of cocktail appeared in a New York newspaper in May 1806: *”stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water & bitters“*. The legends around the origin of the name range from the french word “coquetier” which refers to glass bowls that were used for both purposes in the late 1700’s, to cockfighting stories in which winning rooster owners took defeated tails and stir their drinks in sign of victory (cock’s tail). The truth is that the origin of the word remains unknown.

What is a Cocktail? In the words of Mixologist Danilo Bolzovic, in his must-read book The Art of Mixology, Bars & Cocktails, Barkeep, *”A well-made cocktail should offer a symphony of flavors and each sip should unveil a new aroma“*.

To celebrate, we are also looking at the Menu Adoption Cycle (MAC), defined as the framework to predict food trend, that we cherish & follow at VE Group, totally agreeing that trends start at restaurants. The MAC has been created by market research firm Datassential and it establishes four stages:

1) Inception – New & Not So common to find
Example. CANTARITOS
Where: –@Oh! MEXICO Restaurants

At Oh! Mexico in Miami Beach, the menu includes five varieties of Cantaritos, all made with Mezcal including Flor de Mayo, Paloma, the Smokey Watermelon (pictured), Mezcal Negroni & Chachalaca.

2) Adoption – Slowly and nicely growing on menus.
Example.BOULEVARDIER
Where: News Cafe
This cocktail appears in 2.2% of the Menus in the US and has grown +39% in the last 4 years. At News Cafe is prepared with Old Forester 86, Campari, Martini Rossi Sweet Vermouth

3) Proliferation – Grown & Popular, chain restaurants & almost everywhere.
Example. MOSCOW MULE

Moscow Mule is currently in 10.7% of menus, with a 12–month growth of minus 8% and minus 6% in the last 4 years.
Found at Barsecco, Cafe Americano, Mercato della Pescheria & also at Paperfish.

4) Ubiquity – Everywhere, All the Time.
Some good examples are: Mojito (pictured), Margarita, Rum & Coke, martini, daiquiri, pina colada.

Take Mojito, for example,  which is more common to find on regional chains like Havana 1957.
This cocktail is presently on more than 20% of menus & it has experienced a -3% growth in the last 12-months.
Where: This cocktail is a Top Seller – @Marabu / Brickell City Centre in Miami.

Let’s get ready for the weekend, the cocktail way.

By. E Machado
Photo credits @Verestaurants