Spotlight On: Chef Leonard

When asked about the latest trends on the hearty cuisine coming out of Western
Europe, Chef Leonard had plenty of thoughts.

Western Europe Cuisine Goes Coast to Coast. What do avgolemono, Alfredo and tapas have in common? Plenty of taste and a
Western European origin. These days, foods from the countries of Western Europe have been assimilated by every region of the United States, and it’s easy to see why.

Take tapas. This classic Spanish offering fits in perfectly with America’s desire to sample many tastes. Any meal where numerous small, flavorful dishes are passed around and shared just seems completely American.

Greek food is another that’s gaining popularity. Just a few years ago, you would be hard
pressed to find a Greek wine or cheese on a menu. Now, some restaurants are serving
Greek wines made with moschofilero and savatiano grapes—those varieties don’t exist
in any other part of the world.

And of course, Italian food remains one of the “original” ethnic foods. But even the way
people refer to it is beginning to change. They’re now more apt to look for “Northern,”
“Southern,” and “Sicilian” styles, versus simply “Italian.”

Western Europe Gets Americanized

With all of the wonderful foods that are coming out of Western Europe, along with those
that are long established, it’s easy to adjust any menu to give your customers a taste of
the Old World—with an American twist.

While traditional Western European dishes are everywhere, we’ve seen that some of the
more popular dishes tend to be Americanized. Instead of linguine Alfredo, many
restaurants are adding other ethnic flavors to create dishes like Southwest Chicken
Alfredo with a salsa-Alfredo sauce, or a pita stuffed not with the traditional lamb and
tzatziki sauce, but with a curried chicken salad or smoky barbecue.

If you’re looking to introduce Western European cuisine to your patrons or just expand
your existing offerings, look to Italy, Greece and Spain for inspiration. You’re sure to get
customers saying, “grazie!,” opaa!” and “salud!”

Menu Idea from Chef Leonard

Click here for one of my Western European favorites.

Contact Chef Leonard