{"id":20592,"date":"2026-01-26T12:55:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T12:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/26\/chefs-predict-the-biggest-food-and-drink-trends-of-2026-at-cayman-cookout\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T12:55:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T12:55:01","slug":"chefs-predict-the-biggest-food-and-drink-trends-of-2026-at-cayman-cookout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/01\/26\/chefs-predict-the-biggest-food-and-drink-trends-of-2026-at-cayman-cookout\/","title":{"rendered":"Chefs Predict the Biggest Food and Drink Trends of 2026 at Cayman Cookout"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cayman Cookout. <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cayman Cookout<\/span><\/a>, the famed food festival held yearly on and around Seven Mile Beach at <\/span>The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman<\/span><\/a>, might as well be the Davos of the culinary world. Over six frolicking days, lauded and Michelin-starred chefs from around the world descend onto the luxury island resort to not only participate in lively cooking demos, intimate seated dinners and massive outdoor dine-arounds, but to find communion with one another, as well. (Just stay out of their way during the heated petanque match\u2026if you know, you know.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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As such, there may be no better week to forecast food and drink trends for the upcoming year than this one, when it\u2019s likely you\u2019ll bump into everyone from Eric Ripert<\/a> to Stephanie Izard<\/a> while strolling the beach. In between catamaran trips to swim with sting rays and beachside demonstrations of how to cook paella, we managed to sit down with some of the festival\u2019s luminaries to get their takes on everything from the ingredients about to make it big to the cocktail poised to finally dethrone the espresso martini (could it be?). Read on to find out what everyone from TV chef star Emeril Lagasse<\/a> to legendary bartender Julie Reiner<\/a> is predicting for 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Eric Ripert at the Cayman Cookout Barefoot BBQ. <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The ingredient poised to make a splash<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cI live between Mexico City and Punta Mita, and I\u2019m seeing a lot of sea urchin.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 Daniela Soto-Innes<\/a>, co-founder of Cosme<\/a> and Atla<\/a>; chef at Rubra<\/a> at W Punta de Mita<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been seeing a lot of galangal on menus, not just at Thai restaurants. I had a galangal pesto at an Italian restaurant the other day, and it was absolutely delicious.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 EJ Lagasse<\/a>, chef at Emeril\u2019s<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cCaviar. Not on its own, but as an accoutrement on a fish or a potato dish.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 Emeril Lagasse, chef and TV personality<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cTruffles. White truffles are starting to be better known by the consumer. Those very luxurious ingredients are becoming more affordable, actually, because there\u2019s more demand and more production.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 Eric Ripert, chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s lots of caviar on everything. I even created a martini where the garnish was a caviar bump.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 Julie Reiner, owner of Clover Club<\/a> and Milady\u2019s<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cCabbage is supposedly going to be the vegetable of the year.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 Stephanie Izard, chef and owner of seven restaurants, including Girl & the Goat<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The cuisine about to be everywhere<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cI think tropical Mexican will be more popular\u2014the food from Sinaloa or Quintana Roo. It\u2019s a lot of bananas and plantains, and much lighter cuisine overall.\u201d \u2013 DSI<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHmong food is really doing something right now. I had dinner at Diane\u2019s Place in Minneapolis, and my god, it was delicious.\u201d \u2013 EJL<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI might be biased, but I think Portuguese is on the rise, particularly their rice dishes and the salt cod. I\u2019m seeing those a lot on menus across the United States.\u201d \u2013 EL<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIndian. In New York City, for example, we never really had excellent Indian restaurants. Now we have some serious Indian food. And when I\u2019ve been traveling throughout the U.S., I\u2019m seeing a lot of Indian chefs starting to come out and modernize the cuisine.\u201d \u2013 ER<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m seeing a lot more high-end Indian. It\u2019s exciting, because I love the flavor.\u201d \u2013 JR<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJapanese cuisine is already very celebrated, but with more people eating more protein-forward and the general health benefits in that style of eating, I feel like everyone\u2019s talking about Japan all the time.\u201d \u2013 SI<\/em><\/p>\n

The city everyone wants to explore for its food<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cSeoul! We have a lot of similarities on spices, and I love pickles.\u201d \u2013 DSI<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHouston is having a moment. And I\u2019ve been dying to get out West and try some smaller cities like Sacramento and San Diego.\u201d \u2013 EJL<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cTokyo is high on my bucket list for this year.\u201d \u2013 EL<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very impressed with what\u2019s happening in Seoul. They\u2019re trendsetters with music, fashion and technology, too. It\u2019s the first time I see Westerners really observing what\u2019s happening there to predict the future.\u201d \u2013 ER<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI really want to get to Chicago. There are a lot of bars on my list I\u2019d love to hit. Outside of the U.S., Mexico City.\u201d \u2013 JR<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot happening in Dallas. It\u2019s fun to see new markets like that starting to grow.\u201d \u2013 SI<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMexico City is continuing to have its meteoric rise. Hong Kong: the best bar in the world is there, at the moment. And Athens: the food there is really booming, and their natural wine scene is booming, as well.\u201d \u2013 Tyler Zielinski<\/a>, bartender and mixology ambassador for Wheels Up<\/em><\/p>\n

The next big thing in restaurant design<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s divided into two tiers: for more budget-conscious restaurants, I\u2019m seeing a lot of very natural designs with simple wood tables and lots of plants. And for those with a bit more of a budget, it\u2019s very clean edges and monochromatic, when it used to be a more-is-better style.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 DSI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m seeing a lot of very incredible art in restaurants right now. For a number of years, you\u2019d go in, and there was a plant, and that was it, but now we\u2019re seeing absolutely stunning things on the walls.\u201d \u2013 EJL<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot more carpeting instead of hardwood floors. People are very sensitive to noise, so there\u2019s a lot of noise barriers that are being created.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 EL<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I predict for this year are smaller restaurants where people can sit at the counter. And I\u2019m seeing a lot of open kitchens. It\u2019s almost like a show: entertainment for the night on top of eating well.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 ER<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cBar spaces are starting to hire interior designers more. Before, there were more people doing it themselves, but we\u2019re seeing some beautiful spaces now, especially inside hotels.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 JR<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople seem to be really enjoying the open kitchen model. I think people want to go in and really see what\u2019s happening. They have more interest now than they used to, and it kind of makes it into theater.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 SI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Andrew Zimmern. <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What\u2019s next for restaurant service<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cI love the idea of one big dish surrounded by little dishes. There\u2019s more community when there\u2019s family-style eating. So hopefully we\u2019ll move more toward that.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 DSI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely feel that tasting menus are making a comeback. Not that they went away, but stylistically, the grand tasting menu went to the wayside for a little bit. Now, the old tableside service is back, those sorts of timeless elements.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 EJL<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are generally spending less, so tiny cocktails are a solution for that.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 TZ<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cPortion size is shrinking. And partially that\u2019s a response to what it costs, but fascinatingly, it\u2019s a really healthy response as well.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 Andrew Zimmern<\/a>, chef and TV host<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Cayman Cookout. <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The trending dining hour<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going later. I\u2019m definitely seeing that at Emeril\u2019s, more 8:30 p.m. or even 9:15 p.m. reservations.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 EJL<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s moving earlier, in Chicago. And I love that trend for personal reasons.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 SI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

What will be this year\u2019s espresso martini?<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cThe carajillo: tequila, espresso, and Licor 43.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 DSI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cA sazerac. It\u2019s a classic cocktail, but I\u2019m seeing it pop up in a lot of places, even here in Cayman.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 EJL<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m seeing less martinis lately, and more creative cocktails.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 EL<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThe porn star martini. People like its nostalgia and playfulness.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 TZ<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cGen Z, in a sense, is really choosing not to drink alcoholic beverages. Huge percentages of the American public are choosing not to drink; they\u2019re more aware of the health issues, and they\u2019re prioritizing things from a dollar standpoint.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 AZ<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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A more casual cocktail at the Cayman Cookout\u2026 <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The cocktail ingredient that will be everywhere<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cPandan and lemon verbena.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 DSI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cMezcal. A few years ago, mezcals were created in a slightly different way, and sometimes they were a bit harsh for customers. Now they\u2019re much softer, but still a bit smoky.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 ER<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of cacao, in spirits and in infusions. And makrut lime.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 JR<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cJapanese ingredients in general. Yuzu, miso, sesame. Their pantry is so robust in a way that the Western world\u2019s isn\u2019t.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 TZ<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The wine region to look out for<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cThe Loire Valley, especially their low-intervention wines.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 DSI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are drinking a lot more French than I\u2019ve seen in years.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 EL<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cPacific Northwest wines. Walla Walla, in particular, has a really great community of winemakers.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 SI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

A chef or bartender you have your eye on<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cIsabel Coss. She used to be the pastry chef of my restaurant Cosme in New York, and now she has a place in D.C. called Pascual<\/a>.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 DSI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThe obvious one is EJ Lagasse. 22 years old, two-star Michelin, and the entire world is looking at him. He started very, very young at 14. He\u2019s the one to watch.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 ER<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIn Lisbon, Margarita S\u00e1der opened a bar called Gardenias<\/a>. And I always like to support the ladies.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 JR<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\u201cCaviar<\/p><\/div>\n