Last week at CookIt, Talent Coordinator @carly_halper joined @bitsbitesblog and @thecookingmawma at the @nationalrestaurantshow in Chicago - continuing CookIt’s work of showing up alongside its roster, connecting with brands, and supporting their growth across the industry!

Last week, Talent Coordinator Carly Halper was joined by Katie of @bitsbitesblog from the CookIt roster to attend @theinspiredhomeshow, a premier event for home and housewares brands. It was another successful event - making new connections with brands in person, learning more about their marketing and campaign strategies for the year, and introducing CookIt to the community. 🎉

Exploring the show floor, we connected with both familiar brands from last year and new ones, including @haden_usa, @brodandtaylor, and Gibson Homeware. It was clear that many brands are increasingly embracing influencer marketing, especially for new product launches, recognizing the value of influencer partnerships alongside more traditional approaches. With so many brands open to collaboration and innovation, we’re excited for what’s ahead - stay tuned for upcoming partnerships and opportunities!

Back from Expo West last week and still thinking about the innovations we saw across the show floor. 💛 One theme came up again and again: familiar foods being reimagined through function, format, and nostalgia! Here are the trends that stood out:

🍟 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤: Beef tallow is back! @steaknshake leaned into tallow fries, and traditional fats and less processed frying mediums are gaining traction.

🌾 𝐅𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭: Protein remains strong, but fiber is quickly emerging as the new functional hero.

🥛 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐤 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Plant-based milks are expanding beyond sweet or neutral flavors. Have you heard of @oatly’s popcorn milk?

🍝 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐟𝐨𝐫-𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚: The pasta category continues to evolve with strong better-for-you positioning like with @eatbanza’s showcased gluten-free shells!

🍕 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐚: Frozen pizza is premiumizing - @larossipizza stood out with pizzas produced directly in Italy, reinforcing the imported authenticity angle!

🥟 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐃𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞: Soup dumplings continue to expand. @eat.mila impressed with flavors like Spicy Hot Pot Beef!

🍫 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐫: Dates are showing up more as a natural sweetener and product base. We loved @frenchsquirrel.co’s peanut butter stuffed dates!

🥔 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐩’𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝: Brands are turning unexpected foods into crunchy chip formats (like @little.latke and @mamametempehchips).

🧀 𝐂𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: Cottage cheese is still having a major moment!

🥑 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐨 𝐎𝐢𝐥 𝐎𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞: @eatsimpli and other brands see avocado oil as a healthier option.

📱 𝐔𝐏𝐅 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐎𝐂: Ultra Processed Foods and Regenerative Organic Certified ingredients got a lot of attention this year. @wisecode.ai, a new AI-powered app, lets you scan barcodes to detect UPF foods - how cool!

✨ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠: In the supplement world, it’s all about collagen, peptides, colostrum, prebiotics, and whey.

Huge congratulations to Ronica of @mymanabites from the CookIt talent roster on hitting 1 million followers on Facebook! 🎉

When asked what fueled her incredible growth, Ronica shared:

“Consistency and community made all the difference. I showed up every day posting recipes that reflect me, whether it’s wellness, family meals, or a yummy dessert, and connected with my audience by responding to comments and engaging with them. With this, Facebook gave me a platform to grow from 400 followers to 1 million in under two years.”

This milestone is truly no small feat. Cheers to showing up, staying authentic, and building a community that loves every bite! 👏