Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and the holiday spirit is all around. We’re mostly excited about special editions, culinary collaborations,  movie premieres, and novelty cocktails, isn’t everyone?

Wicked Good Collabs!

Today marks the release date for the much-anticipated musical-turned-movie Wicked. Within hours, we’ll discover whether this event turns into a Chicago-like box office and critical success or becomes a Cats-like fiasco. We are very excited, especially because of some culinary collaborations. Our favorite two are between Universal Studios, Stanley Cup, and Target, which have created an Elphaba-green Stanley Cup and, our favorite, the Wicked– and Absolut-inspired cocktail edition. We’ll have the Absolut X Ozmopolitan. 

A Very Carey Christmas

It’s been 30 years (Yes, 1994 WAS 30 years ago) since the release of Maria Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You. Now Queen of Christmas is opening an exclusive pop-up bar experience inspired by…herself. Virgin Hotels has partnered with Bucket Listers to open the Mariah Carey Black Irish Holiday Bar in Chicago, New York City, Dallas, Nashville, and New Orleans. You can sip a variety of themed cocktails, including the MC Martini, which is topped with cotton candy and glitter. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

 A McDonald’s Secret Birthday cake

By now, we’re all familiar with McDonald’s secret menu, but what we didn’t know is that there’s a secret birthday cake. The Ronald Birthday Cake was spotted in a TikTok by user @kayrock93, who shared a video with the caption, “Did you know McDonald’s sells $9 cakes?” The chocolate sheet cake is topped with buttercream icing and a screen print of Ronald McDonald. We all know that one person who would go for it.

Surprise: The Best Cheese for 2024

This year’s World Cheese Awards, the largest since 1988, featured 4,786 cheeses from 47 countries, judged by 240 experts in Viseu, Portugal. The top cheese, produced by the small 10-employee Quinta do Pomar in Soalheira, Portugal, outshone 14 finalists, including five Swiss cheeses.

The winning cheese, Queijo Amanteigado Seia Médio is a gooey, glossy, buttery treat with a herby bitterness, typically served by slicing off the top and spooning out the center.

New shaped Pasta

Move over, Strozzapreti. Behind you, Radiatori, there’s a new pasta shape in town! This holiday season, Barilla is offering a festive, winter-wonderland-inspired pasta. In early 2024, the company commissioned a survey revealing that 45% of American consumers were “on the lookout for fun pasta shapes to try. The snowflake shape is highly detailed, so grab two boxes—it’s a seasonal item, perfect for a themed “Frozen” dinner!

Winner: The best bar in the world

Handshake Speakeasy, a two-level speakeasy in Mexico City’s Colonia Juarez, was named the world’s best bar at the World’s 50 Best Awards in Madrid last month. This marks a huge achievement for the bar, which only opened in 2023 and ranked third last year.

In second place was Hong Kong’s Bar Leone, an Italian-style bar promoting “cocktails for the people,” which was also named the best bar in Asia.

 

The Future Is Insect

“Beef is Over”, says an ad on Yumbug’s Instagram account. It’s too soon to agree, but London’s first fully bug-based restaurant, Yum Bug, has opened in Finsbury Park, offering a menu centered on crickets. Originally a pop-up in 2018, it was founded by friends Leo Taylor and Aaron Thomas, who aim to show that edible insects can create a healthier, more sustainable food system. It takes guts, is what we’re saying.

So, next time you’re in London and craving crickets, combine it with a visit to Kensington Palace and the Harry Potter Studios.

 

A $100M Worth Of Rotten Onions

McDonald’s is investing $100 million to attract customers after an E. coli outbreak linked to onions on their Quarter Pounder burgers. This includes $65 million directed to the hardest-hit franchises.

Worlds late Night Dining Capitals

Some cultures dine later than others: on the West Coast, dinner at 6 PM is common, but to Europeans, that seems a bit too early. So, Chefspencil.com analyzed reservation data from over 4,400 restaurants in 89 cities to find where booking a late dinner is easiest.

Cities in the Middle East and South Asia dominate the rankings. While Madrid is known for its late-dining culture, it’s surpassed by several cities in India and the Middle East. In Cairo, Egypt’s capital, booking a dinner past midnight is common, with the average last seating time at midnight, making it the world’s late-dining capital.

 

The food & beverage industry predictions

TraceGains predicts key 2025 food & beverage trends, focusing on the impact of ESG, AI, and regulatory shifts. These are the main trends:

  • AI will speed up new product development.
  • ESG pressure builds on all fronts, acting as both an expectation and an opportunity.
  • Supply chains shift from linear to networked models, meaning brands are shifting focus from cost-efficiency to sustainability, responsible sourcing, and adaptability.