Food trends may start as predictions, but the real test is whether they are practical enough to make it onto restaurant menus. For Chef Thuladu Mngadi, owner of Fresh Food with Thuladu at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, the answer is “Yes”.
She reveals that she is already drawing on the four trends in the annual Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) Future Menus 2026 report to explore traditional dishes in different ways and experiment with new combinations.
On Women’s Day, 9 August, Chef Thuladu hosted an event at her restaurant, bringing women together to celebrate this important day in South Africa’s history through connection and, of course, food. The occasion also provided her with an opportunity to share her insights into UFS’ future trends: Culinary Roots, Street Food Couture, Borderless Cuisine and Diner Designed.
Although she is applying them all in her kitchen, Chef Thuladu says that Culinary Roots resonates the most. “It speaks more to my kitchen and what I do, since I’m more into traditional South African food in terms of our menu.”
One example is the restaurant’s lamb biryani, which she describes as a dish that honours local roots. Even as she experiments with new combinations, indigenous ingredients remain central to her cooking. This is one way of keeping heritage food’s cultural identity intact, she believes.
She also uses ideas from the Future Menus report to build on ingredients and techniques already familiar in her kitchen. “We are still using the same ingredients that we did before, but we are tapping into current trends. So, we will always go back to our ‘bible’ and check things out.”
That approach is especially evident in Borderless Cuisine, where Chef Thuladu has been experimenting with combinations that bring together elements from different culinary practices. She points to pairing traditional African food with wine as an example of blending different influences. She also shares a recent experiment that involved ‘Inhloko‘ (cow head) and cow tongue, well-loved Zulu dishes. “I served cow tongue in a taco, which is Mexican. It tasted amazing, and we might just add it to our menu.”
Street Food Couture is another Future Menus trend that aligns with Chef Thuladu’s existing approach, as many of the dishes she serves — from vetkoek and mince to gourmet burgers — are also sold on the streets. “We’ve just made them more presentable in a more presentable space,” she notes.
She says It’s also important to listen to her customers to find out what they really want. She responds to those preferences by giving diners the freedom to choose different combinations on the menu and share dishes, from braai meats to curries and pastas. An approach that speaks directly to the Diner Designed trend.
Chef Thuladu believes there’s a practical consideration too when bringing different dishes and influences onto a menu: consistency. She has used UFS products since starting her business in 2015, noting: “We still use the very same things in the same recipes from back then until now. I love their consistency, and they are staples in our kitchen.”
Fresh Food with Thuladu serves both traditional and Western cuisine, reflecting the breadth of Chef Thuladu’s cooking. “Our menu is quite versatile,” she comments, “and a versatile menu needs versatile products. That’s also where the various UFS ranges come in – they’re versatile and full of flavour.”
She highlights one specific product, Knorr Brown Onion Soup, which she has relied on for over a decade in dishes ranging from curries to boiled dishes, where it brings a different flavour to each dish. She also credits UFS’ Robertson’s spices, herbs and baking essentials with helping her hit that same note, time and again.
For Chef Thuladu, Unilever Food Solutions’ Future Menus goes beyond reporting on trends; it turns them into practical realities for food businesses. “It makes global food trends accessible to local chefs, offering inspiration and recipes that come to life with their products. It’s ultimately about helping chefs grow their business and stay ahead,” she concludes
