More popular than chocolate and potato chips, snacking occasions bearing fruit are growing.

Fresh fruit is not only the top snack food consumed in America, it is also one of the fastest growing, according to new snacking research from Port Washington, N.Y.-based The NPD Group, a global information company.  NPD’s recently released “Snacking in America” report finds that growing concerns about health and eating right are contributors to the increasing popularity of fruit as a snack.

It and 10 others join The Food Channel’s 2013 Trends Forecast. Smoked water, anyone? And “no choice” is becoming the new choice when dining out.

The Food Channel recently released its 2013 Trends Forecast, compiled in conjunction with CultureWaves® and the International Food Futurists®. Here’s an abridged look at what The Food Channel sees happening in the world of food this year. Click here for the full report.

1. Kickstarting New Food Concepts. Kickstarter, GoFundMe and other crowdfunding sites have been around a while, but we see them really kicking it up to a new level in the food and hospitality arena in the coming year. Got a new food product idea, or want to build a new restaurant? Go for it, and make it a crowdpleaser.

Cascade Culinary Institute builds a new culinary center whose physical and spatial attributes meld perfectly with its natural surroundings, facilitating student learning and the successful collaboration of education and community.

Located on the perimeter of the Central Oregon Community College (COCC) campus in Bend, Cascade Culinary Institute’s new Jungers Culinary Center is the anchor for a future mixed-use development, providing academic and commercial opportunities for the college and its students.

Portland-based Yost Grube Hall (YGH) Architecture collaborated with nationally recognized culinary and kitchen-design professionals to analyze the academic program and then develop a new curriculum and facility to support it. The new 15,000-sq.-ft. building reflects the college’s partnership with the region’s leading hospitality establishments and their staffs, resulting in a flexible facility program that will accommodate the culinary school’s needs for the next five to 10 years.

Using Kickstarter for funding, RADISH rolls out as a reality for a group of Providence students of various disciplines. And delicious, wholesome food served from an artists’ hub on wheels becomes the order of the day.

By Douglas D. Stuchel, MAT, CHE

RADISH, a food truck serving locally grown and organic menu items, was built to promote healthy eating and fostering creativity in Providence, R.I. The food truck was the brainchild of a few passionate students at Johnson & Wales University, Rhode Island School of Design and Brown University who were looking to put their exciting and progressive ideas to good use. Besides serving organic, farm-fresh food, the RADISH team also promotes artists, musicians, cooks and adventurers every month via its truck and website.

Jack Uldrich to launch Mercer Cutlery’s Speaker Series at inaugural CAFÉ event in Chicago, Feb. 22-24, 2013.

The Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ) is pleased to announce that Jack Uldrich will keynote CAFÉ’s inaugural event for postsecondary deans and directors of hospitality and culinary-arts programs, Feb. 22-24, 2013, at Kendall College in Chicago.

Uldrich is a renowned global futurist, independent scholar, sought-after business speaker and author. His books include the best-selling The Next Big Thing Is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business and award-winning Into the Unknown: Leadership Lessons from Lewis & Clark’s Daring Westward Expedition and Jump the Curve: 50 Essential Strategies to Help Your Company Stay Ahead of Emerging Technologies.