When I was a wee lass in a funny chef’s hat (okay, maybe not so wee), one of the perks to my education was a visit to the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) Canadian Food and Beverage Show. It was held down at the CNE at the time (well before the new Trade Centre had been finished) and was an event that I consider one of the highlights of my training (as opposed to the day I scrubbed the fingerprints off my hand after deboning 20 stinky lamb shoulders). So it is with much envy that I perused Rita DeMontis’ column in The Sun this week about attending this year’s Food and Beverage Show.

Geared towards the foodservice industry and not open to the public, the show features new products as well as added-value products that restaurateurs can take advantage of. Based on the exhibits at the show, DeMontis predicts some food trends for the upcoming year:

Functional foods: As Canadians become more conscious of nutrition and food ingredients, foods that can help consumers manage their health and prevent disease will be increasingly present in Canadian diets.

Meatless meals: While true vegetarianism may not grow dramatically, the consumption of meatless meals will continue to increase, driven by perceptions of healthfulness and a broadening range of ethnic food options.

Spanish flavours: Whether it’s sherry vinegar, aged Serrano ham or traditional red wine, Spanish flavours that gained wide attention in 2005 are set to increase in popularity.

Aromatic spices: From the familiar cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the more exotic anise, saffron and cardamom, flavourful and aromatic spices will become a simple way to spice up everyday meals.

Retro desserts: Grown up versions of childhood favourites are making a return, from highly flavoured gel squares and other desserts made with gelatin and fruit purees to alcohol-infused rice puddings.

Artisanal cocktails: Mixologists are turning their backs on simple cocktails that are blended, shaken or stirred and embracing “muddled” cocktails that combine fresh herbs and fruit juices with specialty liqueurs.

Gourmet grazing: A “small meal phenomenon” that has spread to restaurants and kitchen tables in recent years, these small meals — also known as meze, tapas, hors d’oeuvres and appetizers — give consumers a chance to try a lot of different parts of the world.

DeMontis also interviews cookbook author Dana McCauley about how Canadians are not getting enough vegetables, and Elizabeth Baird gets creative with rice, offering recipes for everything from risotto to rice pudding and pilaf.

At the Toronto Star, they want us to go to Barrie. No, really - to EAT! Katherine Elphrick examines the burgeoning foodie movement in Barrie, where it’s not all just chain restaurants and burger joints anymore.

Also in the Star, Judy Gerstel attends a kosher dinner event to raise funds to plant trees in Israel. The event toured Canada to reach out to various communities, and the chefs were presented with some unique problems:

Ariel Porat and Oved Alfia, executive chefs at luxury Dan Hotels in Israel, had to adapt their menus according to what was available in the 10 different Canadian cities where they staged Tu B’Shevat dinners this month.

In Edmonton, Porat says, many diners weren’t even familiar with eggplant.

Short ribs, served as the sixth course, presented the biggest challenge. In almost every city, Porat says, they took a different form, showing up in every size and shape imaginable.

Susan Sampson offers up a recipe for date turnovers, while Jennifer Bain reviews The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavours of Africa by Chef Marcus Samuelsson.

And finally, Gordon Stimmell offers up three reasonably priced wines while Josh Rubin tries some oak-aged Innis & Gunn Limited Edition 2006.