Everybody has a favorite soup. Maybe it’s a rich tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich from a local diner. Or your favorite aunt’s chicken soup, which may still be the only cure for the flu. Maybe a chowder, a bisque or a stew hit the spot when you were growing up. After 9,000 years in existence, soup may qualify as the ultimate comfort food.

A Growing Market
Soups, stews and chilies are making a resurgence on restaurant menus, driven largely by soup lovers who constantly crave new flavors and by diners seeking healthier menu choices. The movement has helped free soup from its lunch-only, left-side-of-the-menu status.

The trends in homemade soup mirror what’s happening across the food industry, according to Campbell Kitchen’s Vice President Lucinda Ayers. A study her company conducted identified emerging soup flavors that include watermelon, rhubarb, celery, pork belly, grapefruit and coconut, and trends that include figs, pomegranate, beets, cauliflower, acai and whole grains.

Seafood soup…

It’s clear that the resurgence of comfort foods is one of the major menu trends to emerge out of the economic recession. And what’s a better comfort food than pasta? From penne pomodoro to fettuccine alfredo, few dishes marry satisfying taste an budget-friendly value like pastas. Wholesome, flavorful and easily customizable, pasta is the perfect comfort food for cost-conscious diners and restaurant operators alike.

If anyone knows the value of pasta, it’s the owners and operators of Italian restaurants. From nation-wide chains and franchises to local mom-and-pop shops, more and more pizzerias are adding pasta-based entrees and appetizers to their lineups – and reaping the financial rewards.

Roughly 60% of the independent pizzeria operators surveyed in PMQ Pizza Magazine’s 2009 census already served some kind of pasta dish in their restaurants, and an additional five percent planned to introduce one within the next six months. What’s more, those already serving pasta in their pizzeras reported that…

Simplicity is the culinary theme for 2010.

As many consumers continue to watch their spending and cut back on dining out, restaurant operators are simply looking for better ways to fill stomachs without emptying diners’ wallets over the coming year.

Agile Chef has highlighted five “back-to-basics” trends that operators can use to entice recession-weary diners and grab more dining dollars. These trends not only reflect diners’ shift toward good (more) value, but also feel-good comfort during economic uncertainty. It’s driving the way operators respond, from carefully crafted menus to community-conscious fare, in 2010.

Local Fare

Chefs are putting more emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients for menu items. This farm-to-fork concept is appealing to both operators and diners for several reasons: fresh ingredients, minimal transportation and support of local commerce. This also includes regional wine and spirits, and even specialty brews from local microbreweries.

Comfort Foods

Familiar foods, like sandwiches, burgers and mac ‘n’ cheese, are getting a premium upgrade on menus. Have…