CatchOn to the Future of Food
Posted: July 17, 2013 Filed under: Did You Catch On To...?, Industry Trends | Tags: chefs, Design, F&B, food, forecast, restaurants, trends Leave a comment
At CatchOn, being a committed foodie is almost a job requirement. Over the years, we’ve grilled leading chefs, turned sommeliers into celebrities and hosted our share of power breakfasts – all in the name of work. Given our epicurean fascination, we relished the opportunity to prepare this report on the ‘Future of Food’.
Through interviews with chefs, restaurateurs, journalists, artists, gourmands, interior designers, and “culinary culturists” worldwide, we’ve shortlisted the influences shaping our relationship with food, identifying macro movements, hot spots, personalities, ingredients, design trends and the buzzwords shaping the food scene today. After sifting through the experts and chewing over the findings, we now proudly dish up the results. To get the full report, write to: nicole.koo@catchonco.com
“Food for Thought” at The Principal: Are Men Screwed?
Posted: March 14, 2013 Filed under: Did You Catch On To...?, Industry Trends, Uncategorized | Tags: career, Catherine Feliciano-Chon, discussion, exchange, F&B, family, gender, ideas, insights, inspire, lifestyle, roundtable, The Principal, trends, work, working women 3 Comments
With more and more women crashing the proverbial glass ceiling, what’s a man to do to get a little respect? This was the starting point to a debate CatchOn hosted at the Michelin-star restaurant, The Principal. To coincide with “International Women’s Day”, CatchOn invited a diverse cross section of thought leaders to consider the question: Are Men Screwed? No doubt it was a loaded topic and one that made for a very spirited and candid exchange facilitated by Rex Aguado, chief editor of SCMP’s Classified Post. During the discussion, attendees weighed in on the push to have more women in leadership roles, gender stereotypes, and the implications on men and women as they navigate the changing workplace and domestic landscape.
My key takeaways (and there were many!) are:
While women are being encouraged to “lean in” in the workplace (a reference to Sheryl Sandberg’s recently launched – and much-critiqued—manifesto), men should also be empowered to “step away” from expectations of always being the alpha figure. More and more women are earning more than their partners and men are comfortably opting for roles as “house-bands.” And that’s okay! (Just ask the men’s cooking club…)
The debate is not about women “having it all” according to the dictates of society, cultural norms and media. It should be about women being able to have all that they need, defining a way of life and work according to the terms they set for themselves. So I may be a powerhouse at work, but I don’t have to be a domestic goddess as well.
And are men screwed? Certainly not. But why don’t you weigh in on this topic, which certainly provided a lot of food for thought.
NOTHING NEW WITH NOSE-TO-TAIL
Posted: June 27, 2011 Filed under: Industry Trends | Tags: Catherine Feliciano-Chon, cooking, F&B, nose-to-tail Leave a commentBefore trendspotters get their nose out of joint, CatchOn is setting the record straight about the latest hoo-haa to hit the food scene in Hong Kong: ‘nose-to-tail’ cooking. Originally coined in 1999 by English chef Fergus Henderson of St John restaurant in London, it describes using everything from offal to neglected cuts of meat in cooking and it’s being touted as the latest trend in Asia. Really? Asians have been nosing and tailing their way for centuries, we just didn’t have a fancy name for it. Filipinos dare you with their dinuguan, a stew steeped in beef blood, all guts and glory. Malaysians have their fish head asam curries. And the Chinese, well, what is it that they don’t cook? Duck kidneys, pig intestines, ox tongue and chicken feet are just some of the local delicacies. In fact, we’re known to eat just about anything…pets included.
World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2011: Asia is Starved for Attention
Posted: April 19, 2011 Filed under: Industry Trends, PR Insights | Tags: F&B, restaurants 9 CommentsReleased yesterday, Restaurant Magazine’s list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants contained only three (a measly 6%) from Asia. This is hard to digest given Asia’s vibrant restaurant scene and diverse food cultures. Those who made the cut were Les Creations de Narisawa (Japan), Iggy’s (Singapore) and – for the first time from Hong Kong, Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. As discouraging as this is, it’s still an improvement from the last two years when only two restaurants made the list. And before that…zero. It’s a glaring omission considering how Asian culinary traditions have influenced global gastronomy.
Still, perhaps our less-than-stellar showing is more a reflection of how fragmented the industry is in Asia, and how slow we are to mobilize a lobby across industries — tourism, hospitality, food, etc.
And to the HKTB, here’s some food for thought: According to an IHT article, the Swedish tourism bureau hosted 11 food journalists and voters on an all-expenses-paid trip to dine at several of the country’s leading restaurants!
Do you find the list hard to swallow? Are we the only ones left with a bitter taste?
To sweeten the deal, let’s compile our own list for Asia. Tell us who do you think should be on it and why.
Catch of the Day 