How Global Flavors Can Inspire Comfort Food Applications

Comfort food orders rose in popularity through the pandemic and continue to hold customers’ attentions and appetites. Guests are now looking for globally inspired ways to enjoy their favorite comfort foods on your menus. Drawing inspiration from international fare can offer opportunities to feature unexpected beef cuts and more contemporary flavors. 

Comfort food variations usually consist of greater carb and fat levels—handhelds with cushy breads, saucy creations over rice, a side of crispy potatoes, etc. These applications draw from home-cooked and nostalgic origins and now perform as best-sellers on menus across the globe.

Following the latest surge in comfort food popularity, here are some globally inspired variations to to help you menu new kinds of indulgent flavors:

• Short rib is Corporate Kitchen Chef of Aburi Restaurants Chef Alan Ferrer’s favorite cut for a reason. “Bone-in short rib gives me a blank canvas to work with, allowing me to apply many different flavors from around the world.” The indulgent, portion-friendly cut can be imagined saucy with sticky rice or braised for juicy tacos.
• Create delicious empanadas with premium cuts for your modern steakhouse. Customers will pay a higher price in order to indulge in the comforting Latin American street food. Sterling Silver Chef Pete Geoghegan recommends using our tenderloin cut inside flaky empanada pastry.
• There’s plenty of room to experiment with handhelds—especially when adding globally inspired flare is as easy as smothering them with contemporary sauces or swapping bread varieties. Look to pita and naan to evolve the wraps on your menus, and steam buns to envelop braised cuts and pickled veggies. Then, consider trending flavors like gochujang mayo or sesame-chili garlic sauce to partner with existing items on handheld menus.

Infusing global inspirations to comfort food applications helps ensure these items remain a fixture on your menu for years to come. These evolutions reflect what it means to be a modern steakhouse and can inspire new menu items along the way.