A Fresh Take on a Classic
For Chef Emily Schlag, the best innovations build on the familiar.
Inspired by a dish she created in culinary school, Chef Emily’s latest concept—Golden Spiced Ancient Grain Granola with Labneh and Berry-Black Pepper Coulis—elevates simple, nourishing ingredients into something extraordinary.
“I love taking something basic and just elevating it a little bit more—not getting too complicated with technique or doing anything that would make it unappealing to a lot of people,” she shares.
This concept seamlessly fits into Griffith Foods’ Serving Up Wellness theme by delivering balanced flavor, texture, and nutrition. Focused on functional ingredients, sustainability, and approachability, this dish redefines the classic pairing of yogurt and granola, making it both wholesome and exciting.
Golden Goodness: The Wholesome Facts Behind Chef Emily’s Spiced Granola
- A Reimagined Parfait – Thick, strained labneh is rolled into delicate, flower-dusted spheres, adding a luxurious touch to a familiar breakfast staple.
- Fusion of Global Flavors – The granola features warm spices inspired by Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines, while labneh is seasoned with honey za’atar, creating a fusion of complementary traditions.
- Sustainability in Every Bite – Ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and quinoa—chosen for their regenerative agriculture potential—make this dish as environmentally responsible as it is flavorful.
- A Balanced Approach to Wellness – “Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated,” says Chef Emily. By reducing sugar and using natural ingredients, this dish embodies the philosophy that healthy food should be both simple and delicious.
- A Modern Consumer Trend—Elevated Basics – Inspired by the movement towards refined simplicity, Chef Emily’s dish exemplifies how everyday food can feel premium without becoming inaccessible.
Serving Up Wellness – Chef Emily CC
Flavor Innovation at Its Core
Central to the dish are two key Griffith Foods spice blends:
Golden Spice Blend
A thoughtful mix of turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and allspice. “It’s something I’ve used in many applications, from oatmeal to energy bites,” Chef Emily notes. This versatile blend enhances flavor while masking the bitterness often found in whole grains like amaranth and quinoa.
Honey Za’atar Seasoning
A unique take on the traditional blend, combining oregano, thyme, coriander, and sesame with honey granules. Used to season the labneh, it balances herbal complexity with a subtle sweetness.
These spice blends highlight Griffith Foods’ commitment to flavorful, nutritious, and scalable solutions for chefs and food manufacturers looking to meet evolving consumer preferences.
Functionality Meets Affordability
This dish aligns with growing consumer interest in food as a tool for well-being. Chef Emily’s background as a registered dietitian informs her approach.
“A big part of ‘food as medicine’ or functional foods is having something that people actually want to eat.”
By making nutritious food visually enticing, accessible, and full of recognizable flavors, this dish removes barriers often associated with “healthy” eating—proving that wellness-driven choices don’t require trade-offs in taste or enjoyment.
The Path to a More Sustainable Future
At the core of this dish is a focus on sustainable sourcing. The inclusion of ancient grains that support regenerative agriculture highlights Griffith Foods’ broader mission to develop a more responsible food system.
“We’re starting to focus on grains like millet and sorghum, which can be grown in a regenerative way,” explains Chef Emily. Griffith Foods emphasizes sustainable food networks, and using responsibly grown ingredients in commercially viable dishes like this one helps scale those sustainability efforts.
Plus, making nutrient-dense, widely available ingredients more exciting and desirable contributes to greater food accessibility—an essential part of bringing sustainable nutrition to a broader audience.
Elevating the Familiar with Intention
This dish embodies the idea that small refinements can create a major impact. By reimagining familiar formats with thoughtful ingredient choices, it delivers on both taste and nutrition—proof that innovation doesn’t have to be complex to be meaningful.
For Chef Emily, success means keeping simplicity at the heart of innovation.
“If someone were to create this and eat it, I hope they’d be delighted by the flavors and textures—surprised in the best way possible.”
FlavorIQ® Food & Flavor Outlook Program
At Griffith Foods, we turn insights and culinary creativity into new opportunities with our FlavorIQ® Food & Flavor Outlook Program. Through our annual culinary theme program, we curated a list of key culinary themes that reflect the food industry’s current state and our prediction for what’s next.
Learn more about our program and themes here.
Let’s Create Better Together
We’re here to help inspire creations that keep your product portfolio on trend. Contact your Griffith Foods representative or reach out to our sales team to learn more about our ongoing research and innovative offerings.
