Appetite for the Future

What will dining be like in decades to come? We asked the state’s top chefs and foodies.

Listed below are the full answers from all the respondents who met the deadline.

Original spelling and grammar are retained.

1. The trendiest vegetable or grain in the next two years will be ________________?

(e.g., cauliflower, yucca, parsnips, sweet potato, lentils, farro, barley, black rice, collard greens—or your suggestion)

• Escarole — Lance Fegen: Glass Wall, Houston.
• Salsify—Chris Ward, Mercury Grill, Dallas.
• Açai (berry of the açai palm—pronounced asa’i) — David Bull: Bolla, Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa, Dallas.
• Saisifis — Damien Watel: Bistro Vatel, San Antonio.
• Quinoa — Tyson Cole: Uchi, Austin.
• Quinoa— Charles Clark: Ibiza & Catalan Food & Wine, Houston.
• “Perfectly cooked, in season vegetables and in large varieties. I hope.” —Bryan Caswell: Reef, Houston.
• “My current fave is shaved Brussels sprouts sautéed in brown better w/ s&p (a Robert Rhoades idea) — Jeff Blank: Hudson’s on the Bend, Austin.
• “Any vegetable whose provenance can be identified.” — Jeb Stuart: Shade, Houston.
• Beets — Jon Bonnell: Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, Fort Worth.
• Fregola- although not a “grain” this Sardinian pasta pellet is interchangeable as a great versatile “starch replacement” — Jason Dady: The Lodge, San Antonio
• any thing that hasn't been genetically modified — Bruce Auden: Biga on the Banks, San Antonio.
• Seaweed — Anthony Bombaci: Nana, Hilton Anatole hotel, Dallas.
• What’s left? — Stewart Scruggs: Wink, Austin.
• vegetable colored quinoa — David Garrido: formerly of Jeffrey’s, now developing Garrido’s, Austin.
• chickpea flour — John Tesar: Mansion Restaurant, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek hotel, Dallas.
• locally grown heirloom vegetables — Dean Fearing: Fearing’s, Ritz-Carlton hotel, Dallas.
• Black veggies & grains (soybeans/rice/carrots/tomato) — Lisa and Emmett Fox: Fino, Austin.
• Rice — Bud Royer: Royers Round Top Café, Round Top.
• Edamame — Robert Rhoades: Hudson’s on the Bend, Austin.
• Quinoa — Tom Fleming: Central 214, Dallas.
• Wheat (it will be an alternative crop before long) — Scott Tycer: Gravitas, Houston.
• All vegetables that will be considered part of the ‘green’ movement. Environmentally safe grown vegetables. This will be an alternative to organic growth and will fit a wider audience. — Scott Cohen: Watermark Hotel Company, San Antonio.
• Lentils — Will Packwood: Cibo, Austin.
• Salsify — Jason Gould: Gravitas, Houston.
• Not one in particular but a variety of fruits and vegetables indigenous to Mexico and Latin America such as lucuma, purple corn(chicha)and a rainbow of potatoes — Stephan Pyles: Stephan Pyles, Dallas.
• Heirloom rice — Chris Shepherd: Catalan Food and Wine, Houston.
• Anything with “otto” at the end “ Farotto, Barotto” - Mark Schmidt: Café 909, Marble Falls.
• Black rice/heritage or heirloom veggies — William McKenna: Texas Culinary Academy, Austin.
• Radishes — Diana Barrios Treviño: Los Barrios, San Antonio.
• Celery root. Very underrated. — Marion Gillcrist: La Traviata, Austin.
• Cardoon — Avner Samuel: Aurora, Dallas.
• Shelling peas (lady creamers, speckled butter beans . . .). I think whatever is local and seasonal, people are going to become more concerned with what they put into their bodies, and how, what they buy effects the earth and the community. — Randy Evans: Brennan’s of Houston, Houston.
• Organic leafy veggies, like kale and Chard. Quinoa — Alma Alcocer-Thomas: Jeffrey’s, Austin.
• A lot of those are already done and on their way out. I think quinoa is great and rainbow swiss chard (which we grow). — Paul Petersen: Café Cenizo, Gage Hotel, Marathon.
• Bambo rice — Mark Cox: Mark’s American Cuisine, Houston.
• Cooked hearty leafy greens. — Lou Lambert: Lamberts Downtown Barbecue, Austin.
• quinoa followed by lentils and root vegetables. — Charles Butt, H-E-B, and John Campbell, Central Market
• Garlic Sweet Potato Fries- Why? Because the Ladies love them. — Nick Badovinus: formerly of Hibiscus, now developing F\NB, Dallas.
• Specialty potatoes and crosnes. — Andrew Weissman: Le Rêve, San Antonio.
• Corn — Kent Rathbun: Abacus, Dallas.
• More important than a specific vegetable or grain, will be the trend of chefs going more with sustainable agriculture. Chefs are buying more local and seasonal product, versus buying something year round with diminished quality and no concern of seasonality or where it comes from (other countries, hot house, etc.). — Chris Pappas: Pappas Restaurants, Houston.
• Yuca. — Michael J. Cordúa: Americas, Houston.
• Asian Black Rice and Italian Black Rice — Bruce McMillian: Tony’s, Houston.
• Humble root vegetables. — Jason Weaver: French Room, Adolphus Hotel, Dallas.
• black anything — limes, carrots, rice — Tim Love: Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Fort Worth.
• Black barley — John Sheely: Mockingbird Bistro, Houston.
• Curly mustards — Rebecca Rather: Rebecca’s Table, Fredericksburg.

2. In two years the next big protein will be ________________? (e.g., kurobuta pork, Akaushi beef, rabbit, calamari steaks, tofu, buffalo, guinea hen, ahi tuna, pork belly, quail eggs—or your suggestion)

• Grass Fed Beef — Lance Fegen: Glass Wall, Houston.
• Milk-fed pork—Chris Ward, Mercury Grill, Dallas.
• Prime Veal — David Bull: Bolla, Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa, Dallas.
• Akaushi — Damien Watel: Bistro Vatel, San Antonio.
• Farmed kona kampachi — Tyson Cole: Uchi, Austin.
• Organic beef or buffalo tenderloin — Charles Clark: Ibiza & Catalan Food & Wine, Houston.
• “Underutilized gulf fish (things other than snapper and shrimp)” — Bryan Caswell: Reef, Houston.
• “Local — grass fed/natural razing procedures will play an important role. The real challenge will be to find suppliers/ranchers/processors who can supply quantity and quality. Bandera Grassland and Betsy Ross or her style will be players… natural raised — local wild game will also see a new life. This all depends on the diner’s knowledge of the health benefits and the environmental benefits. Kurobuta pork & Akaushi beef are really just Japanese raising styles that can be done here. Look for pork belly to be the next foie gras.” — Jeff Blank: Hudson’s on the Bend, Austin.
• South Texas Lamb — Jeb Stuart: Shade, Houston
• Grass fed beef (folks are going green) — Jon Bonnell: Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, Fort Worth.
• Texas Shrimp. Natural shrimp from LaCoste Texas is changing the way we think about locally produced farm raised shrimp. Great product, locally sourced and fresh. What more would any chef want? — Jason Dady: The Lodge, San Antonio
• beef as it is every year — Bruce Auden: Biga on the Banks, San Antonio.
• Goat — Anthony Bombaci: Nana, Hilton Anatole hotel, Dallas.
• Beef, now and forever — Stewart Scruggs: Wink, Austin.
• hormone free top sirloin — David Garrido: formerly of Jeffrey’s, now developing Garrido’s, Austin.
• guinea hen — John Tesar: Mansion Restaurant, Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek hotel, Dallas.
• Kona compachi from Hawaii — Dean Fearing: Fearing’s, Ritz-Carlton hotel, Dallas.
• Wild board/farm raised chicken (not cafo) — Lisa and Emmett Fox: Fino, Austin.
• Pork — Bud Royer: Royers Round Top Café, Round Top.
• all natural and grass-fed beef — Robert Rhoades: Hudson’s on the Bend, Austin.
• Source verified beef — Tom Fleming: Central 214, Dallas.
• Dry aged beef — Scott Tycer: Gravitas, Houston.
• Cheese and red meat. We will see a resurgence to classic style cuisine done in a modern cutting edge way, because of the economy and election people will go back to what they know and makes them feel good. — Scott Cohen: Watermark Hotel Company, San Antonio.
• Pig definitely pig. — Will Packwood: Cibo, Austin.
• Offal. Everything goes in circles. — Jason Gould: Gravitas, Houston.
• No answer — Stephan Pyles: Stephan Pyles, Dallas.
• Heritage breed pork, Yorkshire, durac — Chris Shepherd: Catalan Food and Wine, Houston.
• Grass fed, Humanely dispatched & Sustainable (Hopefully) — Mark Schmidt: Café 909, Marble Falls.
• Functional foods. Protein replacement — William McKenna: Texas Culinary Academy, Austin.
• Buffalo — Diana Barrios Treviño: Los Barrios, San Antonio.
• Akaushi beef. — Marion Gillcrist: La Traviata, Austin.
• Chicken from Bresse France — Avner Samuel: Aurora, Dallas.
• Fish: black cod, kona kampachi…I think diners are beginning to eat fish with oil content for both health reasons and for the bigger flavor. — Randy Evans: Brennan’s of Houston, Houston.
• Locally farm poultry (Not chicken—hens guinea hens, peasants etc.). — Alma Alcocer-Thomas: Jeffrey’s, Austin.
• This one depends on where you are and what style. Tofu is gaining momentum and Ahi Tuna is going way out and is way over priced and most is really frozen. Rabbit is awesome I do a lot of game but I wouldn't be surprised if people brought a real chicken dish back into play (I did). — Paul Petersen: Café Cenizo, Gage Hotel, Marathon.
• Akaushi — Mark Cox: Mark’s American Cuisine, Houston.
• Beef steaks with a point of origin. — Lou Lambert: Lamberts Downtown Barbecue, Austin.
• the more exotic, lesser known fish such as Wahoo, Escolar, Branzino, etc. Organ meats are also gaining acceptance as are eggs from sources other than chicken. — Charles Butt, H-E-B, and John Campbell, Central Market
• Watch for a continued movement towards “Eco-Friendly” aquaculture products. Green is the new black. — Nick Badovinus: formerly of Hibiscus, now developing F\NB, Dallas.
• Artisanal pork. — Andrew Weissman: Le Rêve, San Antonio.
• Farm Raised Shrimp, Bison Buffalo or Hormone-free pork — Kent Rathbun: Abacus, Dallas.
• Beef (teres major, flat iron, hanger steak), Kurobuta pork (belly and other cuts). — Chris Pappas: Pappas Restaurants, Houston.
• More beef! — Michael J. Cordúa: Americas, Houston.
• Akaushi Beef, Fish Fish and more Fish — Bruce McMillian: Tony’s, Houston.
• Organic Beef — Jason Weaver: French Room, Adolphus Hotel, Dallas.
• lamb, particularly alternative cuts like lamb neck and lamb bellies — Tim Love: Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Fort Worth.
• Buffalo — John Sheely: Mockingbird Bistro, Houston.
• Akaushi beef — Rebecca Rather: Rebecca’s Table, Fredericksburg.