At A2D, we travel for ideas. And when it comes to food, we believe the most exciting concepts come from the ground up: in local kitchens, backstreet markets, and chef-led experiments that stretch the imagination.
From modern Afro-fusion in Abidjan, to wok-fired rice bowls in Panama and ancestral stews in South Korea, here are eight global cultural innovations that can foster new ideas for your product pipeline.
Whether you’re a founder, director or team leader, our Food Innovation Travel programs offer first-hand access to the people, places, and ideas pushing boundaries. Booking with A2D means more than seeing what’s trending: it means gaining insight, inspiration, and opportunities to future-proof your brand through immersive, curated and content-rich experiences.
Providence, Rhode Island
East Coast attitude with small-town swagger
Providence is compact, but it doesn’t play small. This coastal city delivers layered flavour with a wink — where legacy restaurants hum with nostalgia and newcomers push the tempo. At Frank & Laurie’s, quiche comes custardy, pancakes arrive charred and dripping, and brunch feels a little bit wild. Down by the water, Gift Horse turns oysters and martinis into performance art — each bite a different corner of the Rhode Island coast. It’s a city that seduces slowly, then doesn’t let go.
Inspiration for Innovation:
- Coastal oyster tasting kits with raw bar ritual built in
- Brunch-meets-supper comfort lines (savoury custards, seared pancakes)
- New Americana flavour profiles that mix bold, cheeky, and nostalgic
St‑Jean‑de‑Luz, France
Basque purity and new coastal expressions
In this seaside Basque town, simplicity is everything. At Pil Pil Enea, anchovies, grilled fish, and piquillo peppers tell a story of restraint. At Le Kaïku, chef Nicolas Borombo blends Japanese precision with Basque terroir — serving dishes like grilled octopus with yuzu and Espelette pepper, and minimalist seafood plated like sculpture.
It’s coastal cuisine stripped back to its essence.
Inspiration for Innovation:
- Smoke and salt-based seafood seasoning kits
- Basque-Japanese fusion sauces (piquillo-yuzu, anchovy-shoyu)
- Grilled fish DIY packs with oil marinades and spice rubs
Crete, Greece
Fire, precision, and the island in every bite
Crete is a study in contrast — wild and cultivated, ancient and forward-thinking. High in the mountains, Dounias cooks entirely over fire. Chickpeas, goat, and sourdough are prepared in clay pots or iron pans, with no electricity — just smoke, patience, and instinct. Down in Chania, Salis sits by the harbour, where chef Alexandros Lefkaditis creates polished, hyper-seasonal plates sourced from the owners’ own farm and winery. Seafood is line-caught, grains are heritage Cretan varieties, and olive oil flows like water. Every dish feels like a conversation between land, sea, and craft.
Inspiration for Innovation:
- Open-fire cooking kits featuring slow-cooked legumes and smoked oils
- Ingredient systems inspired by closed-loop farming (e.g. farm, ferment, finish)
- Elegant grain-based product lines with Cretan varietals and olive oil infusions
Lambayeque / Chiclayo, Peru
Clay pots, coastal fire, and ancestral storytelling
Northern Peru’s Lambayeque region is finally stepping into the spotlight. At El Cántaro in Chiclayo, the food feels timeless: stingray ceviche, duck with cilantro rice, banana-leaf-wrapped stews.
Nearby, chef Héctor Solís’s Fiesta revives Moche and colonial recipes with refined confidence. And soon, Solís will open a coastal seafood concept in Pimentel, bringing Lima’s La Picantería to the source.
Inspiration for Innovation:
- Ceviche kits using lesser-known fish (e.g. ray, river catch)
- Clay pot–inspired ready meals with charred aromatics
- Fermented fruit dressings (lucuma, soursop, pepino dulce) for layering acid and sweetness
Panama City, Panama
Coconut comfort meets wok-fired revolution
In Panama City, La Tapa del Coco serves colonense — one-pot dishes rich in coconut, pork, beans, and seafood. Chef Isaac Villaverde’s mission: reclaim Afro-Panamanian food with pride. Meanwhile, at Maito, chef Mario Castrellón is pushing boundaries with “Chombasia” — wok-style cooking meets Caribbean staples, with seafood seared over flame and glazed in tamarind and soy.
It’s a vibrant blend of soul and smoke.
Inspiration for Innovation:
- Cross-cultural rice bowl platforms (Afro-Asian, wok meets stew)
- Coconut-laced bases in shelf-stable packaging
- Hybrid flavour concentrates: tamarind-chili, plantain-ginger, annatto-lime
Gwangju / Namdo, South Korea
Duck broth, fermented sea, and quiet intensity
In Gwangju, Yeongmi Oritang has served duck soup since the 1940s. Their signature oritang — made with chili, medicinal herbs, and deep simmer — is a masterclass in slow food. Further south in Jeolla, seafood kimchi (with oysters, squid, and local seaweed) continues to evolve in kitchens and fermentation labs alike.
This is Korea’s deep pantry: bold, briny, and built to last.
Inspiration for Innovation:
- Ready-to-eat broths with medicinal roots and heat
- Seafood kimchi condiments in premium packaging
- Fermentation-forward sauces pairing ocean and spice
Goa, India
Sour tang, coconut fat, and culinary resistance
Goa is reclaiming its food narrative. At Praça Prazeres, chef Ralph Prazeres serves xacuti, tonak, and vindaloo with delicate precision. Kokum Curry, a local favorite, centers kokum and coconut in traditional thalis. At Aayi’s, home-style patoleo — rice flour and jaggery wrapped in turmeric leaves — keeps ancestral sweets alive.
This is a cuisine with contrast: fire and fat, sour and sweet, light and layered.
Inspiration for Innovation:
- Functional kokum beverages with gut-health potential
- Curry base kits (Goan Catholic, Saraswat, Malvani)
- Steamed leaf-wrapped snacks and desserts in regional formats
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Refined, rooted, and ready for the world
At Saakan, Chef Christelle Vougo applies French technique to Ivorian ingredients — attiéké (fermented cassava), grilled fish, and peanut sauce become modern fine dining. Le Débarcadère, perched on the water, offers grilled snapper with alloco and palm oil–based relishes — the kind of meal that feels elemental and elevated.
This is contemporary West African cuisine with global poise.
Inspiration for Innovation:
- Fermented cassava (attiéké) as a base for grain-free snacks
- Ivorian spice pastes (peanut, chili, palm, smoked fish)
- Dual-format meals: fine + familiar, rooted + refined
Turn Inspiration Into Innovation With A2D
Each of these places is building new blueprints for food innovation. From fermentation labs in Korea to beach grills in Dominica, the throughlines are clear:
- Regional revival: Indigenous ingredients and techniques brought forward
- Fusion from within: Diaspora and migration shaping new formats
- Format flexibility: Kits, bowls, snacks, condiments — all reimagined
- Sustainability as heritage: Seasonality, locality, preservation
Let’s Design Your Next Culinary Innovation Journey
A2D takes founders, product leads, and culinary creatives into the heart of food culture. We craft custom trips to meet the chefs, producers, and thinkers behind these dishes, helping you turn taste into innovation.
Ready to taste the future?
Whether you’re launching a new concept, rethinking your product strategy, or just looking for fresh inspiration, A2D can take you there. Get in touch and start planning your own Food Innovation Travel experience.
Why Food Innovation Travel Works
If you’re ready to move beyond traditional consulting and endless market reports, it’s time to go direct to the source. A2D’s Food Innovation Travel is designed for business leaders who want to see, taste, and understand what’s shaping the future of food – on the ground, with the people making it happen.
This isn’t theory. It’s experience-led insight you can act on, gained through curated itineraries, private access, and meaningful connections around the world.
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How Food innovation travel Works
Every Food Innovation Travel program combines the best of our expertise in travel, business and entertainment.
BUSINESS
Site Visits
Meetings
Networking
Brainstorming
TRAVEL
Flights
Hotels
Transfers
Private Charter
ENTERTAINMENT
Restaurants
Activities
Concerts
Events
1. Brief
2. Internal Consultation
3. Presentation
4. Travel
About A2D World
With nearly three decades of experience, A2D World is a trusted leader in creating unforgettable travel experiences for both private and corporate clients. Our global network and deep expertise across travel, hospitality, and innovation make us the go-to partner for brands looking to explore new ideas in real time.
Our mission is simple: to provide seamless access to extraordinary people, places, and possibilities, without the limitations of traditional consulting models. Our multilingual team brings a unique mix of industry knowledge, cultural fluency, and creative thinking to every journey we design.
