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On 29 May 2025, Cape Town played host to a bold and flavour-packed edition of the Future Menus 2025 Vol. 3 launch: the latest rollout of global culinary trends by Unilever Food Solutions. Held at Makers Landing, the event brought together chefs, foodservice pros, and industry experts to share in the innovative ideas shaping the future of food.

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Industry Professionals on Restaurant Trends

Industry Professionals on Restaurant Trends

Executive Chef Chad Blows (Cape Point Vineyards) emphasised how important it is for chefs to be on top of what is happening in kitchens around the world. “With the amount of global guests we get in South Africa, as well as the reach of social media, we need to stay competitive and on top of culinary trends.”

A Showcase of Food Trends 2025

A Showcase of Food Trends 2025

The four global food trends featured in the Future Menus 2025 report were showcased. These trends speak directly to what modern diners crave, and how chefs can respond with creativity and confidence. “It’s important not to look at these as fads, but as where taste profiles are going”, says UFS South Africa General Manager Kevin Lakay.

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Street Food Couture

Street Food Couture

Casual with serious flair. Deep-fried cauliflower tacos and a braised short rib pap bowl with slow-roasted tomato were on the menu with hosts Chef Mary Worthington and Chef Claire Blinkhorn-Street. This trend blends the vibrancy of the streets with elevated culinary technique. Street Food Couture demonstrates how chefs can create exciting dishes that are rooted in cultural flavour, made to appeal to diverse tastes, and still hit a high-end mark.

“Street food gives chefs freedom to experiment, to share their stories, and to shift what the plate can be.” - Chef Mary Worthington

Borderless Cuisine

When people travel, their food travels with them. Chefs Tebogo Ramatsui and Absa Tsokotsoane and took guests on a cross-continental taste tour with dishes that reinvent tradition. West African jollof rice made vegetarian, or paprika chicken glazed in soy and honey and paired with a zesty pineapple salsa. This trend is about evolution, and respecting how food crosses borders and gains new meaning.

“Borderless Cuisine is classic heritage, adapted. It’s about flavours that migrate, evolve, and unite.” - Chef Tebogo Ramatsui

Borderless Cuisine
Culinary Roots

Culinary Roots

Rooted in tradition, ready for tomorrow. This trend explores how chefs can reconnect with authentic techniques and ingredients like fermentation, open-fire cooking, indigenous grains, and seasonal, local produce. Hosts, Chefs Pinky Linah Maruping and Lebo Phala invited guests to honour their roots, and reimagine them for today’s diners. Tastebuds were treated to dessert served first (Amarula-infused ice cream with a sorghum base), followed by Chef Pinky’s “Braai in a Pie”.

“Culinary Roots is about taking the food that you know and love, and elevating it. Indigenous and sustainable ingredients are at the heart of this trend.” - Chef Pinky Linah Maruping

Diner Designed

Menus shaped by those who eat them. This trend zooms in on personalisation, flexible dining, and co-creation. Innovations like QR-coded choices and feedback to modular dishes and allergen-aware plating, this trend is a response to the ever-evolving expectations of modern eaters. Chefs Danielle Venter and Sharon Visagie showed guests how diner-designed menus challenge chefs to listen closely, stay agile, and cook with empathy.

“We know we’re not working alone in the kitchen – we all have that tiny chef on our shoulders.” - Chef Danielle Venter on the use of technology in the kitchen, and the potential of AI in foodservice.

Diner Designed
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A Celebration of Culinary Community

A Celebration of Culinary Community

The day wasn’t just about flavour, it was about connection. Chefs and foodservice professionals were able to share ideas, techniques, and lived experiences that reflect the realities of today’s foodservice landscape in South Africa and the world. From open kitchens to digital-first diners, the future of food is shifting, and the Cape Town launch of the Future Menus 2025 trend report proved just how ready South African chefs are to lead that change.

“To us, this report’s success will be our chefs saying ‘Yes – I can do that’; and of course, to get your diners coming back. We want our clients to have the ability to adjust to what’s relevant.” - Yonela Motloung, UFS Marketing Lead.

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TEST THE MENU TRENDS

The Future Menus 2025 Vol. 3 report is live and packed with insight, chef-driven recipes, and strategies for making these trends work in your kitchen.

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