Menu Concepts That Rise and Shine

Waffles and sandos and bennies, oh my! Many of the chefs participating in Kitchen Collaborative 2025 set themselves the personal challenge of creating one or more concepts designed to innovate breakfast menus, demonstrating new forms of familiar favorites and unexpected ingredient pairings. Cookie dough at breakfast? Yes, please. Lentil waffles and crêpes? Morning glory. Sriracha hollandaise? Bring it on. Lamb ham, anyone? Add a side of eggs with that!

As Flavor & The Menu shares a final sneak peek of menu concepts that intrigued us, the Kitchen Collaborative 2025 sponsors continue to evaluate hundreds of submissions—creative inspirations across all dayparts—in an effort to identify the top concepts that intrigue them. In just a few weeks, we’ll announce the 12 winners who will travel to Dubai with Flavor & The Menu and Summit F&B in 2026 to attend the renowned Gulfood Show. Will one of the breakfast concepts highlighted here rise and shine? Stay tuned.

“HAMMING” IT UP

Lamb ham from Aussie Select proved an inspiration for several chefs eager to shake up traditional takes on the popular breakfast protein. Making a hash of it was Christian Hallowell, senior director of R&D, Bloomin’ Brands, whose “hearty, foodservice-friendly” Lamb Ham Hash with Chili Crisp Essence also features sautéed onions, red and green peppers, and golden potatoes. Starting with the idea of elevating the classic pairing of lamb and potatoes, Hallowell conceived a refined twist on a comfort food staple, crediting the Lee Kum Kee Chili Crisp Oil with “infusing the hash with a lingering, fragrant heat and umami-driven complexity.” The challenge, he continues, “was finding the right balance of spice without overpowering the delicate flavors of the lamb. I’m pleased with how the combination turned out.”

Some chefs took on the classic eggs Benedict. For Timothy Conklin, director of food and beverage, Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston, every element of his Lamb Ham Benedict with Sriracha Hollandaise is critical. But, “the crowning glory is the Sriracha hollandaise. This isn’t your typical creamy, lemon-laced sauce. Instead, it’s infused with the fiery kick of Sriracha, lending a vibrant red-orange hue and a complex flavor profile. The sauce retains the richness of traditional hollandaise, but with a tangy, garlicky heat that builds with each bite.”

Tiffany Sawyer, corporate director of culinary and beverage, First Hospitality, sought to use the Aussie Select Lamb Prime Rib in both an unexpected dish and daypart. Sawyer’s version of the Benedict formula, Lamb Prime Rib Bennie, features seared lamb prime rib, a whipped feta spread and a sumac hollandaise spiked with Aleppo chile. The “fun and flavorful” dish is also dusted with toasted fennel seed and a sprinkle of sumac.

“Old school classics are making a comeback,” acknowledges Keith Brunell, former senior director food and beverage, Nordstrom Restaurants, of his riff on a beloved brunch sandwich. The build for his Lamb Ham Monte Cristo with Hoisin Blackberry Jam starts with Aussie Select Lamb Agave and Rosemary Ham, adding Wagon Wheel cheese from Real California Milk and Dijon mustard. For the dipping sauce, Brunell uses Kikkoman’s Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce in a hoisin plum and blackberry jam.

MORE SANDOS TO START (AND END) THE DAY

The Lamb Pastrami, French Marin and Sriracha Mayo Breakfast Sando from Carron Harris, former senior director of culinary for Papa Murphy’s Pizza, is primed to wake up the palate. “This breakfast sando brings it all,” says Harris. “Umami-rich lamb pastrami is topped with creamy California Brie and served between toasted English muffin halves that have been slathered with Sriracha mayo. Add some peppery arugula and a perfectly fried egg and you’ve got a breakfast sandwich with punch!”

Kris Solt, assistant director for culinary excellence, Rutgers University, understands the appeal of all-day breakfast offerings, especially sandwiches: “Any time I can serve a handheld sandwich all day long with less labor, it’s an easy addition to my menus.” Thus, Solt gravitated to a bagel-based Steak Sandwich, featuring Tyson’s Steak-EZE Sliced Beef, sautéed with onions and mushrooms. It’s topped with a fried egg, white cheddar cheese and Sriracha, all tucked into an everything bagel.

The pursuit of fresh translations of the open-faced avocado toast provides a flavor playground for chefs like Nathaniel Malone, corporate executive chef, Creative Dining Services. “The breakfast segment is brimming with potential for new ideas,” he says, pointing to the opportunity found in innovative toast creations. “By incorporating less common ingredients, we can introduce fresh excitement and intriguing flavor combinations to the breakfast menu.” Malone used Ricotta con Latte from BelGioioso as the foundation for his Ricotta Toast on a seeded sourdough. His elevated take also includes lavender salt, pistachio-spinach-ginger pesto, Sumo mandarins, roasted yellow beets and a sunny-side-up crispy fried egg.

MEXICAN-INSPIRED MORNINGS

Consumers can’t get enough of breakfast items rooted in Mexican cuisine, whether that’s found in flavor, format or both, and several Kitchen Collaborative chefs leveraged this popularity. Take, for example, the Breakfast Nachos developed by Luis Haro, senior director of culinary, SPB Hospitality. “Crunchy tortilla chips are topped with cheesy chorizo, smashed lentils, chili crisp and fresh ingredients,” says Haro, who made good use of products from Real California Milk, Tyson, Lentils.org and Lee Kum Kee.

Josh Graber, culinary director of Salata, also opted to play with the Hillshire Farms Chorizo Crumbles from Tyson, developing the Chorizo & Black Bean Breakfast Tostada, which is served with avocado, Cotija and habanero-pickled onions. Graber has his eye on doing more with the versatile chorizo. “I already have an idea for a new menu item for our 103 restaurants,” he says.

Other chefs creatively stretched the boundaries of “Mexican-inspired.” Consider the Tikka Masala Breakfast Tacos from Jesus Garcia, product development and commercialization manager for 7-Eleven. Inspired by the Tikka Masala Lamb Roast from Aussie Select, Garcia found similarities between Mexican salsa and the Indian dish, so “why not mash these up?” He cubed and toasted the lamb, combined it with salsa, mint and lemon. “It’s a fusion of two unlikely cuisines,” he explains.

Sam Blackburn, senior culinary manager, Sodexo, incorporated migas, the traditional Mexican breakfast dish, into his take on the egg-bite trend. “I love protein-packed egg bites, and I wanted to incorporate some of my favorite Southwest flavors,” he says. Blackburn’s Breakfast Bites are “a bold blend of smoky chorizo, nutty Wagon Wheel cheese and crispy migas, balanced with creamy eggs and a bright Southwestern finish.”

AN INJECTION OF INDULGENCE

Flavor play with breakfast and brunch mainstays like pancakes, waffles, crêpes and biscuits also produced a wide array of inventive menu concepts:

• Peanut Butter Flutter Pancakes from Andrew Kintigh, corporate chef, Casey’s, featuring Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough. “It’s a fun way to give permission to eat cookies for breakfast!”
• Lentil Crêpes flavored with garam masala, cilantro and scallions and filled with a citrusy shiitake-lentil stuffing from Rajiv Jaggi, director of culinary development for Sodexo. “Growing up, I ate lentil crêpes for breakfast and after a recent visit to Paris, I wanted to make a lentil crêpe as a carrier for a variety of stuffings and toppings.”
• Chaat Lentil Waffle, developed by Nathaniel Malone “is an attempt to be respectful of the rich culture of food in India, while showcasing a unique way of bringing those flavors to the breakfast segment and appeal to the American audience.”
• Cookie Dough Liege Waffles, from Afrand Nikoukar, culinary innovation and new ventures, Chipotle, are made with yeasted dough, studded with chunks of Otis Spunkmeyer chocolate chip cookie dough in place of pearl sugar. “As it cooks, the cookie dough melts and caramelizes, creating crispy edges, soft centers and bursts of chocolate in every bite.”
• Triple Chocolate Biscuits are the inspiration of Dawn McClung, manager of culinary innovation and R&D, Piada Italian Street Food. “I wanted to think outside the traditional cookie box and use the cookie dough as an ingredient. I simply replaced the butter with the cookie dough. It gives the biscuits the right amount of sweetness, with chocolate layered throughout.”

Kitchen Collaborative 2025 is further proof that there’s no limit to the culinary creativity that continues to transform modern menus, expanding the flavor experience for diners of every demographic and daypart. Look for the best of the best of this year’s concepts to be announced later this month, with profiles of the winners to follow in the months ahead.