Savoring Foundation Over Trends

A new year. The board is scrubbed, the knives are sharp, the walk-in is reorganized (at least in our minds), and we get one of the rarest gifts in foodservice: a moment to choose what we will build before the next rush hits.

The builders — growers, suppliers, distributors, operators, culinary teams — are the ones who fortified the foundation when nobody was watching. The ones who understand that produce in foodservice isn’t just ingredients. It’s a connective chain of timing, temperature, ripeness, labor, yield, trim, shelf-life, menu performance, and whether the line can execute it on a Friday night with a new cook on sauté.

As we step into 2026, I’m heralding four foundational values: connection, consideration, consistency and craveability — with one additional non-negotiable word written across every spec sheet and menu meeting: flavor.

CONNECTION

In produce, connection is everything: grower to shipper, shipper to distributor, distributor to operator, operator to guest. When those links are strong, produce performs. When they’re weak, the product gets blamed for what was likely a communication problem.

Chefs don’t fall in love with an item because someone emailed a price list. They fall in love because it tasted like something — because someone explained the variety, the seasonality, the handling, the usage, the shelf-life and the menu placement. Because they were treated like a partner, not a purchase order.

Connection is field walks and tasting tables. It’s real conversations about what’s working and what isn’t.
And internally? Connection is culture. A team that feels seen, trained, and valued performs differently. A staff who understands the product’s story and sells it with conviction.

If 2026 is about growth, connection can’t be accidental. It must be a conscious decision — like a menu, like a system, like a relationship you plan to keep.

CONSIDERATION

Consideration and convenience are design principles. They are demonstrations of respect.

It’s acknowledging that foodservice is operating inside tighter labor, tighter margins, tighter timelines, and higher expectations than ever. Consideration is produce that shows up in the right spec and the right condition, with predictable yield and clear culinary intent. It’s packaging that actually works. It’s product that can flex across dayparts without the team doing gymnastics.

When produce is inconvenient, kitchens compensate. They over-trim. They over-season to mask inconsistency. They swap items midservice. They cut items from the menu entirely. When produce delivery is done with consideration, chefs can be chefs again.

CONSISTENCY

Consistency doesn’t get applause, but it earns loyalty. And loyalty is what keeps foodservice alive.

Guests return because the salad they loved tastes like itself again. Because the citrus still pops. Because the greens still have snap. Because the tomato tastes like summer, not like wet cardboard. Because the bowl they crave doesn’t fluctuate in texture or flavor from one week to the next.

Consistency is product standards, but it’s also honoring systems. It’s forecasting that’s honest. It’s QA that’s empowered. It’s substitution policies that protect the kitchen and thus, the guest experience. It’s a cold chain that doesn’t get treated like a suggestion. It’s communication that happens to avert a crisis, not after one occurs.

And consistency is culinary discipline: the same cut size, the same hold time, the same dressing ratio, the same finishing salt, the same acid. It’s training that becomes muscle memory.

If your produce program is “great when it’s great,” you don’t have a program — you have a lucky streak. Consistency turns luck into leadership.

CRAVEABILITY

Guests order desire. They order crunch. They order char. They order sweet heat. They order bright acid that makes your mouth water. They order herbs that hit the nose before the fork even lands. They order contrast — hot and cold, creamy and crisp, juicy and smoky.

Craveability is what makes produce win the menu battle — not because it’s “good for you,” but because it’s good. If we want produce to lead in foodservice, then we have to talk about flavor like it’s the main event. Because it is.

Flavor is ripeness, variety selection, and time. It’s knowing the difference between “available” and “ready.” It’s respecting seasonality and helping to build menus that flow with it. It’s teaching teams how to treat produce like a protein: with technique.

A carrot becomes a headline when it’s roasted hard, kissed with chili oil, finished with yogurt and herbs, and served like it deserves the spotlight. A tomato becomes a memory when it’s peak-season, salted properly, paired with something creamy and something crunchy, and left alone enough to be itself. Craveability is not complicated. It’s intentional.

If you want a better year, stop asking, “What should we add?” and start asking, “What should we strengthen?” Strong systems create consistent execution. Consistent execution creates confidence. Confidence creates repeat business. Repeat business creates stability. Stability gives you the freedom to innovate.

So, here’s my challenge to you for the new year: Forget the trends and the predictions. In 2026, let us start with foundational basics: connection, consideration, consistency and craveability. Let’s lead with what makes produce unstoppable: flavor that’s alive, specific and unforgettable. Let’s herald the new year — one delicious decision at a time.

M. Jill Overdorf is founder and president of The Produce Ambassador, which provides strategic insight, brand development, and innovative solutions for the foodservice, produce, hospitality and culinary sectors.