Chef Daniel Predicts Hottest Trends In Food And Beverages In 2024

As we welcome the arrival of the new year and continue our celebrations into January, what drink will you have in your hand? Besides the traditional glass of bubbly, you might be finding yourself sampling a non-alcoholic spritzer, revealed high profile foodie, media personality and entrepreneur, Chef Daniel.

Chef Daniel’s trending fan-favourite catering business, Fork’N’Knife, and eclectic casual chic restaurant, At Baker Street, have been both maxed out during the festive season but Chef Daniel took some time out to make some predictions about what we’ll be having on our forks and knives next year.

Mocktails and zero proof drinks

“Trending heavily in Hollywood right now, celebrities like Blake Lively are jumping on the non-alcoholic bandwagon and serving up zero-booze drinks. The modern, more discerning and more sophisticated public is increasingly aware of the consequences of too much alcohol dependency and they’re making conscious choices of low or no alcohol beverages and making them more exotic and exciting than ever,” Chef Daniel said.

“No and low is the go, but it’s not just mocktails and spirt-inspired blends. We’ll be seeing just a general rise of exquisite teas and special blend crafted juices featuring on our beverage lists. I’m definitely on board with this trend, it’s a relatively unchartered area with amazing potential for growth and endless creativity. I’m looking forward to experimenting and having my family and friends enjoy what I come up with!”

Caviar renaissance

“In 2024, we, as a people are genuinely tired of the heaviness of the world’s problems. Since the pandemic, we’ve had a couple of international wars and a very depleted economy in a mentally exhausted world. But you know what, even if we can’t go all out and splurge on weekend feasts with our mates like we used to, we’re not cutting down on our fun. Aussies are way too fun loving for that,” Chef Daniel said.

“Instead, we’re being a lot more mindful about how we treat ourselves and it’s about the little luxuries in life.  While we are continuing to dine out, we are also eating better at home. It stems from a good economic understanding that going the DIY route and making food at home by ourselves means that we can afford to get better ingredients and have a great treat at home, while still enjoying a meal out as well when we need a break from cooking.

“So here we are, on the cusp on 2024 and what we’re calling the caviar renaissance. We’re having little bite sized luxury treats and being more intentional about it. Definitely quality over quantity.”

Grazing boards

“Charcuterie boards and grazing boards are perfect for our laidback Aussie lifestyle. We’re just not into the whole formal sit down dinner sort of thing every night. We love sitting around with a beautifully presented grazing board and just picking out what we want. It’s a great way to sample things that we’re unfamiliar with and the best thing is that they’re just so easy to make. A lot of people love how crazy and creative they can get when they’re preparing a grazing board, so do go all out and have fun with it in 2024!” Chef Daniel challenged.

“At Fork’N’Knife we’ve seen a huge explosion in the number of requests for catered grazing boards. The community here absolutely loves it. They’re fun to make and they’re fun to eat and it’s our pleasure seeing our clients loving these creations while they’re celebrating something important to them with their loved ones.

“If you’re looking for a creative twist to a platter, here are some ideas: how about a sea-cuterie board, or a char-fruit-erie board? For kids, you cannot go wrong with a candy charcuterie board. They’ll go crazy over it!”

Botanical-based boosts

“Wellness continues to be a priority for us in 2024. We’ll be focusing on botanicals and florals in the next year, but in particular we’ll be exploring ethno-botanical cuisine and drinks. We’ll be experimenting with local florals and herbs and we’ll be using exotic ingredients like hibiscus and colour changing butterfly powders. We’ll be trying roots, plants, stems and flowers and petals, and reaping the health benefits that come with these botanical boosts. Our bodies will definitely be loving the vitamins and antioxidants!” Chef Daniel said.

Welcoming 2024

“2024 is going to be an exciting time to be in the food industry. The trends we’ll be seeing are definitely reflective of our state of mind. We’re into wellness and intentional eating, we understand that making merry doesn’t mean busting the bank,” he said.

“As the new year rolls on, make sure you give some of these 2024 top trends a go. Treat yourself and delight your tastebuds while you’re at it!” Chef Daniel said.