Let's Eat!: We're hot for chilies

HUNT VALLEY, MD. — Over a six-course meal at McCormick's technical innovation center here, and a late-afternoon barbecue at the company's World of Flavors store down the highway in Baltimore, head chef Kevan Vetter delivers on a consistent theme: Americans' growing preference to both cook with and consume bolder, adventurous flavors.

Juicy diced mango in a grilled shrimp salad pops when paired with the spice of a Tandoori-inspired dressing. A delicate piece of salmon is perfect for summer with the sweetness of an apricot chamoy glaze, a kind of Mexican sauce typically made with fruit, chilies and lime. Grilled ribs are slathered with homemade Old Bay sriracha, an American take on the green-capped Asian condiment that's earned its place as a staple in some household kitchens.

The dishes demonstrate the latest food trends given the smack of approval by our increasingly sophisticated palates: We're obsessed with chilies, riffing on Indian curry at home, and can't get enough of anything that combines Mexico's tangy limes and smoky spices.

McCormick predicted as much in its 2014 flavor forecast, an annual report the company releases that predicts the food trends that will soon find themselves on restaurant menus and in home pantries.

With the help of social media, a growing appreciation for locally sourced and fresh food, and dining experiences such as food trucks and fast-casual restaurants that make good food more accessible, a country that was raised on meat and potatoes, jello molds and fried chicken has experienced a global awakening when it comes to influences in the kitchen.

"The normal paradigm where it starts with the elite chefs is totally broken now," Vetter says. "People are experiencing food and new flavors at a much faster rate."

You may know McCormick as a spice company, populating grocery stores with its iconic red-topped bottles, but it would describe itself more as a flavor company.

At the innovation center, chemists can spend all week analyzing th! e molecular makeup of cinnamon or oregano, determining whether a new source of the spices is of high enough quality or comparing McCormick's version with competitor brands. Trained panelists spend hours sipping spice-infused teas to determine the best version of a new smoked paprika; another group trained in the art of responding to and describing senses helps McCormick measure emotional responses to food.

The constant testing not only lets McCormick ensure it's sending the best spices to grocery store shelves and restaurant kitchens, but is also often contributing to one of the company's many brand collaborations. Chances are good that something you've eaten in the past couple of days was influenced by McCormick.

McCormick partners with nine of the top 10 multinational food manufacturers and eight of the top 10 global food service restaurants — that includes everyone from fast food chains to fine dining establishments. While it won't disclose who it works with specifically, a slide from a 2014 shareholders meeting presentation, available on the company's website, lists Wendy's, McDonald's, General Mills, Kraft, Subway, PepsiCo, and Kellogg's.

Think about that new flavored chip you can't get enough of, or the flavor of natural lemon in a yogurt. McCormick probably had a hand in creating it.

"We're in every aisle of the supermarket," says Marianne Gillette, McCormick's vice president of applied research.

Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, McCormick may be more poised than ever to capitalize on a global trend toward more flavorful food. It's grown from a company that didn't even sell spices — it's first product was root beer extract — to one with more than 1,000 products sold in groceries and to professional kitchens. Last year, the company racked up $4.1 billion in sales, a 2.7% increase from 2012, and took in $389 million in net income. That's down slightly from 2012, when it had nearly $408 million in net income.

McCormick has been selling Americans o! n flavor ! since 1889, when its root beer extract let customers take home the comfort and innocence reminiscent of the ice cream that were parlors popular at the time. It didn't start selling spices until 1906. Then, the average kitchen had just 10 spices. Now, most Americans stock their cupboards with at least 40.

"People by far are way more experimental now," Vetter says. "People are much more excited about food, and they want to get in and re-create those same experiences that they've either had at a restaurant or at a friend's house."

Millennials, whose family meals growing up were more likely to include sushi or tacos than meat loaf and mashed potatoes, are especially influencing grocery aisles and chefs with their willingness to experiment, Vetter says.

To celebrate and build on its heritage, McCormick plans to release several new products this year ahead of its anniversary in September that cater to the country's new-found appreciation for rich and tasty foods. That includes a new "extra rich" vanilla extract already available in grocery stores.

A classic cheesecake that Vetter serves quickly surpasses all others with the first bite; the addition of the extra rich vanilla in both the crust and the cake filling is immediately discernible, making the dessert creamier and sweeter. The taste lingers in the mind long after it's dissolved from the tongue.

It's that afterglow and memory of food that McCormick wants to create for cooks, Gillette says. "From the anticipation to the preparation to consuming," she says, "you can't underestimate ... the emotion (associated with food)."