Borderless Cuisine ANZ

Population movement suggests we can expect new layers of culinary adventure in coming years. Census data shows that more than 8m Australians and nearly 30% of New Zealanders were born overseas, making our countries among the most ethnically diverse on the planet.

Meanwhile, there has been a surge in international student numbers in Australia to a near record of just under 700,000 placements, while the overall number of visa holders is around 2.9m or nearly double that of the COVID-affected years. This includes a record number of skilled workers, which now number more than 200,000 people, many of whom occupy positions in hospitality. According to Australian Foodservice Advocacy Body member feedback, increasing numbers of Indian, Nepalese, Filipino, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Vietnamese are filling kitchen roles via the skilled migration program.

This influx of students and migrants is set to lay a platform for new flavours, cuisine crossovers and dish ideas, often in the context of twists on familiar favourites.

Tips from our UFS Chefs to bring this trend to life:

Infuse popular and enduring casual dining cuisines, including Italian, Mexican, Indian and Japanese, with exciting new influences and regional takes as well as cuisine crossovers that capture the interest of a mobile diner set, such as Mumbai chilli cheese street toasties, Swedish meatballs and Tex Mex taco dogs

Leverage the skills and heritage of migrant kitchen staff, especially those from Southeast Asia, to embrace rapidly emerging cuisines and create fresh fusions, such as a Nepalese–Italian chatamari pizza

Explore emerging cuisines that sit outside the mainstream, but that are creating global interest, to differentiate your venue and pay homage to exotic travel destinations, such as Nordic, Burmese and Caribbean