Recently, McCormick unveiled the 22nd edition of the Flavor Forecast, the brand’s yearly report on the latest trends influencing the way we cook, flavor and eat.

After an extensive, year-long research process involving flavor experts across five worldwide regions, McCormick has uncovered three themes in the 22nd Flavor Forecast:

• Food Stories recognizes both a flavor and the story behind it. From professional chefs and restaurant operators to the grandmothers passing down recipes to keep generational techniques alive, this year’s food story celebrates the power of women in food and flavor in a contemporary way.
• Plus Sweet looks at how sweetness finds new dimensions through subtle and unexpected flavor combinations. Consumers are moving away from overly sweet tastes and incorporating a symphony of other flavors to achieve surprisingly balanced results. 
• Time as a Luxury Ingredient highlights time as an irreplicable and precious ingredient, after periods of isolation and reflection have put the value of time into perspective. Many are rethinking the ways they use time in food, whether investing it to build flavor or finding smart shortcuts to spend quality time outside the kitchen.

For the first time, McCormick will bring its Flavor Forecast to life with a unique pop-up hospitality experience. This May, the brand will launch the Flavor Suite, a vibrant reimagining of the hotel experience that infuses the Flavor Forecast’s themes into every corner. In partnership with Omni Berkshire Place, McCormick will transform the luxurious, 1,000-square foot Rodgers & Hammerstein Suite into a creative and multisensory destination with interactive interior design and whimsical but flavorful amenities. McCormick will also give flavor adventurers a chance to win a two-night weekend stay at the hotel, from May 20, 2022 through May 22, 2022, including one night in the Flavor Suite.

The Flavor Suite will also feature amenities that highlight the Flavor Forecast themes:

• A retro bedside phone will offer Sundae Service at the push of a button, delivering ice cream on-demand with a Plus Sweet-inspired toppings bar. Adventurers can mix and match toppings like gomashio, a Japanese condiment made with sesame and salt, or chamoy, a Mexican sauce made with pickled fruits and chile peppers, for complex and unpredictable layers of sweetness.
• The Time Out Mini Bar will serve mindful cocktails and mocktails that showcase the power of time. While guests sip on Blood Orange & Beet Margaritas and other infusions, aromas of green tea and lemongrass promote a relaxing experience.
• Whether guests are looking for photo-worthy moments or a good night’s sleep, the magical king-sized ice cream bed will rise to the occasion with adorable dessert-inspired bedding, pillow props, and a scratch-and-sniff headboard enveloping guests in Plus Sweet scents.
• An edible wall will encourage guests to broaden their horizons and palates as they taste delicious regional snacks pinned to a world map.

“For over two decades, the world has looked forward to McCormick’s Flavor Forecast for the big emerging trends in the culinary world, and we’re excited to take it to new heights,” says chief marketing officer Jill Pratt. “The trends identified this year highlight the people, flavors, and ingredients both near and far that are so often overlooked. Through the Flavor Suite, we hope to create not just a fun-filled experience, but also whet an appetite for the world of flavors out there.”