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Catersource Magazine, a publication dedicated to culinary pros in the catering field, has its finger on the pulse of food service—and recently, that pulse is beating for vegan food.

The mag regularly covers plant-based topics, and recently, editor and publisher Kathleen Stoehr sent out a 2015 trends survey to readers (all of whom are catering pros) asking the following question: “When it comes to dietary restrictions, which requests do you receive most often?”

Six choices were offered, as well as an area to write in other requests. Vegetarian came in first (a little bit over 75%), gluten-free second (69%) and vegan third (28%). (The survey hasn’t been published yet, but Catersource revealed the results to Latest Vegan News.)

In addition, in the most recent issue of the magazine, chef Jenna Johansen provided a recipe in Stoehr’s Power Up with Proteins feature for Quinoa Vegetable Cakes with Vegan Cashew Cream.

Catersource also hosts an annual conference, the Art of Catering Food (AOCF). The three-day event offers opportunities for culinarians to learn the newest trends and techniques.

“Catersource’s educational conferences, such as the upcoming Art of Catering Food (AOCF), feature topics and trends top of mind for the catering and foodservice professional,” Stoehr told Latest Vegan News.

This year’s installment, kicking off in Salt Lake City, Utah, August 10, will be hosting two educational sessions that include plant-based foods. These are:

• Heat It Up: Culinary Game Show (one category is dedicated to vegan/vegetarian cuisine)
• Brunch+Learn: Food Trend Round Robin (featuring five recipes around vegan/gluten-free cuisine)

“Accommodating dietary restrictions is not a fad or a trend. It is something that chefs throughout the U.S. need to become more educated about, and as such, we feel it is terribly important to provide this type of specialized educational material,” Stoehr adds.

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