The addition of plant-based menus is accelerating rapidly. They are quickly finding their way onto menus in Metro New York and across the nation.
With the growth of way of what is being termed a “Flexatarian” diet, Century Pacific Foods has brought a full line of plant-based products. Their unMEAT line is being introduced to restaurant and foodservice professionals.
Last month, the East Coast buying team at Restaurant Depot and the NYU culinary team hosted cuttings at their facilities in New York. Among the unMeat products they had the opportunity to sample were the company’s plant based burger patties, Hungarian sausages, nuggets and minced meat offerings.
The unMeat team has set its sites on assisting the potential chef, restauranteur and the distributors that serve them to easily adapt the line to their menus to accomplish that, they have added Nicole Ponseca to their team in an advisory role.
The founder and CEO of New York’s Jeepney Filipino Gastropub and winner of New York City’s Battle of the Burgers has partnered with Century Pacific Food to create exiting signature menu suggestions for the restaurant and foodservice professional. During last month’s cuttings in New York at NYU and ‘Depot, the gifted toque created menu items that included a signature burger, tacos and even her plant based take on a hot dog that had guests raving.
Chef Ponseca’s book I Am Filipino was released in 2018 and has been lauded as Best Cookbook of the Year by the New Yorker, Boston Globe, the New York Times Book Review, and more. While researching the book in the Philippines, she met Gregory Banzon of Century Pacific Food, who introduced her to her newest venture: the unMEAT 100% plant-based burger. “We have seen some incredible flavor profiles enter the market and completely disrupt it, and I think unMEAT is only going to further that disruption.”
As experts in engaging customers, Century Pacific suggests that restaurants that have never offered a plant-based product make it an additional or special offering. This will draw the customer’s attention to a healthier option. “They’ll be able to get a good burger or a good for you burger,” Banzon commented.
While plant-based products are ideally healthy, Banzon and his unMEAT product recognize a customer’s hesitancy towards venturing into the plant-based world. “There are typically three concerns: unpronounceable ingredients, the product will be higher in price, and it won’t taste like real meat,” Banzon explained. “Our simple ingredients keep the cost down while delivering nutritional information our customers are familiar with and can pronounce. With less than ten ingredients that you’d find in any culinary kitchen, consumers can trust what’s in the product. Century Pacific’s experience in consistently delivering flavor with our science nutrition team has allowed us to produce a healthy plant-based burger that genuinely tastes like a meat burger. We have created a plant-based burger that looks like meat, tastes like meat, and is priced like a regular meat burger.”
