Today’s consumers travel the world without leaving their kitchens

By Roger Lane

Today’s consumers are a worldly group. Thanks to technology, our ability to connect with nearly every part of the globe is as easy as clicking a mouse. As a result, consumers can explore exotic cultures, customs and cuisines on a whim.

As evidenced by the continued success of cooking shows, food networks and social media such as Pinterest and Facebook, as well as cooking classes and magazines, more people are taking an interest in cooking at home. The desire to recreate the flavors and recipes from across the globe motivates consumers to experiment.

Fusion cuisine, which combines culinary traditions, has gained popularity and familiarity across generations. From well-traveled Baby Boomers increasingly exposed to ethnic flavors to Gen Z who probably have experienced ethnic cuisine from an early age, no longer are folks satisfied with solely making traditional recipes but rather seek a melting pot of flavor infusions, such as meat loaf or sloppy Joes.

Members of Gen Z have grown up in a world that has always been connected and multicultural and for them, there is no such thing as ethnic cuisine. It’s just ‘cuisine’.