1. Bowls are even bigger
"Three, four years down the road, we're still going to be talking about bowls," said Matthew Cervay, system executive chef at Geisinger Health System. "It's a perfect vessel for a lot of stuff."
He didn't get any argument from fellow presenters, who hailed a rejuvenation of bowl meals as a never-ending trend. "It is not going anywhere," said Ina Pinkney, known as the Breakfast Queen because of her work as a restaurateur and writer in popularizing the meal.
Pinkney spoke during a breakout session on breakfast, which coincided with one devoted to bowls. Differentiating the two was sometimes difficult, as Pinkney lauded bowls as a platform both for mashing together two foods to create something novel, or delicately layering flavors for a more complex build.
A director of foodservice for a senior living complex said bowls are especially effective in introducing new ingredients or recipes in his sector because the prep is often done in the dining room, allaying concerns about what's in the meal.
A psychologist friend of Pinkney had provided an explanation for bowls' enduring popularity: "Holding bowls is very primal, and holding one is very comforting," said the former restaurauteur.