Menu

I work at ...

Continue

We are tailoring content specific to your business.

What will the menus of tomorrow taste like? For Chef Thuladu Mngadi, the answer doesn’t necessarily begin with something new. Sometimes, it starts with the ingredients, flavours and food stories that have been with us all along.

The award-winning Durban chef and owner of Fresh Food With Thuladu has built her business around South African flavours, finding contemporary ways to present the food she knows and loves. It’s an approach that connects naturally with Culinary Roots, one of the trends explored in the Future Menus 2026 report.

This video player may use cookies or other browser storage. If you agree to this please click the Accept button below.

The Future of Food Has Deep Roots

03:15

FOOD TRENDS 2026: HERITAGE MEETS FUTURE

Chef Thuladu’s approach is closely connected to KwaZulu-Natal and its food culture. From curries, breyani and steamed bread to indigenous ingredients and locally produced spices, heritage remains at the heart of her cooking.

But that doesn’t mean keeping things exactly as they’ve always been.

As Chef Thuladu explains, "We are still using the same ingredients that we did before, but we are tapping into current trends."

For chefs exploring Food Trends 2026, it’s a reminder that looking forward doesn’t have to mean leaving familiar flavours behind.

Divider
Of the Future Menus trends, Culinary Roots most closely reflects Chef Thuladu’s approach

CULINARY TRENDS ROOTED IN SA FLAVOUR

Of the Future Menus trends, Culinary Roots most closely reflects Chef Thuladu’s approach.

Maize, amadumbe, sweet potatoes, indigenous leafy greens, beans and locally produced spices are among the ingredients she champions. Her philosophy is simple: “Sometimes the most exciting ingredient isn’t something exotic that has travelled thousands of kilometres; it is something that has been growing right on our doorstep.”

It’s an idea with real relevance to today’s culinary trends and foodservice trends. Heritage ingredients can give chefs a foundation for experimentation while keeping a strong sense of place on the plate.

RESTAURANT MENU TRENDS WITH A SENSE OF PLACE

Chef Thuladu’s cooking shows that heritage and progression don’t have to compete.

Traditional ingredients and familiar dishes can be reinterpreted to respond to changing restaurant menu trends, while still telling the stories of where they came from.

That’s what makes Culinary Roots so relevant to the future: what’s next doesn’t always have to come from somewhere else.

PUTTING FOOD TRENDS 2026 TO WORK

Future Menus 2026 brings emerging trends together with practical ideas for foodservice kitchens. Chef Thuladu’s approach shows how those trends can be interpreted through a chef’s own ingredients, culture and culinary identity.

The future of food doesn’t need to leave its roots behind. It can grow from them.

Download the Future Menus 2026 report to discover the trends and practical inspiration shaping tomorrow’s menus.

Divider
Home
Products
Favorites
Cart
Recipes
Menu