As consumers continue to make cost-conscious purchases amid lingering inflation, the food-at-home category has undergone burgeoning growth as the shopper becomes the home cook.
But beyond the desire to tighten purse strings, more people than ever want to cook at home – from buying creative meal kits to experimenting with new recipes involving more global flavors.
So, what’s driving this trend?
New York Times columnist Eric Kim offered two possibilities: a more enlightened and more diverse generation of eaters.
“I think what’s really changed is people are just way more educated now and they have access to more ingredients,” he said recently, in an interview with The Food Institute. “Immigrant communities have flourished. The children of those immigrants are now grown-ups, and they’re all chefs…and that’s why it’s so exciting now…because there’s so many different types of people cooking, and it’s not just one voice.”
According to the National Restaurant Association, six out of 10 chefs and cooks in America are minorities, the highest ratio amongst other major restaurant job categories.
Kim believes that it’s this rise in generational diversity in America that has encouraged home cooks to be more adventurous in their kitchens. He also attributes major influences like the start of the cable TV channel Food Network. A 24-hour programming channel that started in 1993, Food Network has been credited by many as making cooking and fine dining more accessible and relatable to viewers at home.
“I started baking and cooking (when) I was 13, and was very much influenced by the Food Network, which did a lot to change food culture and get people to really cook at home,” Kim said.
Cooking at home has become more than just a way of life for Kim – it’s a full-blown career.
Kim a food writer, recipe developer, and essayist for the New York Times. He recently authored his own cookbook, “Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home.” It’s a collection of recipes which combine his love for the Korean cuisine of his heritage with the flavors of the American South, which is where he grew up.
The response to the book has been positive: it immediately became a New York Times Bestseller. This year’s success is yet another strong indicator that American consumers continue to demand unique global flavors in their eating repertoire.
It’s also through his work that Kim discovered consumers’ desire for authenticity.
“People…are ready to add a new ingredient to their pantry, if you can convince them it’s delicious and worthy,” Kim said.
Kim also cited the power of media as an influence on home cooks: “If you put [an ingredient] on the front page of a newspaper, a national newspaper, those grocery stores will start carrying those ingredients, because people are going to the grocery stores and [asking], ‘Do you have this?’”
Kim has found that grocery stores tend to start stocking up on an item he mentions in his columns, anticipating the rush for that ingredient.
“I’m sure Alison Roman drives…that kind of thing a lot. Samin Nosrat sold out buttermilk. The grocery stores are how people buy their food, but the thing that influences it is media,” he said.
The Food Institute Podcast
Restaurant results for the second quarter weren’t stellar, but people still need to eat. Are they turning to their refrigerators, or are restaurants still on the menu for consumers? Circana Senior Vice President David Portalatin joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss the makeup of the current restaurant customer amid a rising trend of home-centricity.
