Here’s a polished English translation of the Chinese title: **”A Thousand Flavors of Sichuan, Leaping into a New Horizon — 2026 Chinese Culinary Trends & Style Launch: Sichuan Cuisine Edition”** Alternatively, a more concise and punchy version: **”Sichuan’s Thousand Tastes, A New Frontier — 2026 Chinese Cuisine Trend & Style Launch: Sichuan”** Let me know if you’d like a version tailored for a specific tone (e.g., formal, commercial, or poetic).

ChengduMay 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — From April 22 to 24, 2026, the Unilever Food Solutions Chinese Cuisine Trend & Style Launch Event for Sichuan Cuisine was held in Dujiangyan, Chengdu. Themed “Sichuan Leap • New Horizons,” the event focused on the iterative evolution and boundary expansion of Sichuan cuisine, bringing together renowned Sichuan chefs, catering entrepreneurs, industry experts, and cross-sector observers. In-depth discussions were held on flavor innovation, dining experiences, and brand growth, aiming to help catering partners grasp trends and embark on new journeys in the new cycle of Sichuan cuisine.

Tracing the Pulse of Shu, Witnessing the Evolution of Sichuan Cuisine

As a UNESCO-recognized “City of Gastronomy,” Chengdu carries the millennium-old flavor memories and culinary heritage of Sichuan cuisine. From Mapo Tofu to Boiled Cabbage in Supreme Broth, from street-side Dan Dan Noodles to refined Sichuan dishes at banquets, Sichuan cuisine in Chengdu has completed a full narrative arc—from bustling street food to elegant gatherings, from folk customs to treasured delicacies. As the core holy land of Sichuan culinary techniques, Chengdu gathers the densest community of Sichuan cuisine masters in the country, the most complete spectrum of intangible cultural heritage techniques, and the most vibrant catering innovation ecosystem. Batch after batch of Sichuan cuisine brands have spread from here across the nation, making Chengdu a pilgrimage site for global food lovers seeking authentic Sichuan flavors.

Debate and Exploration, Jointly Probing Contemporary Expressions of Sichuan Cuisine

As Sichuan cuisine integrates diverse flavors based on its philosophical foundation, this thousand-year-old culinary tradition is undergoing a profound transformation from core to expression. Leveraging global perspectives and insights into local catering trends, Unilever Food Solutions officially released four major trends for Sichuan cuisine: “Street-side Hustle and Bustle,” “Flavor Innovation,” “Boundless Fusion,” and “Shu Charm with Modern Flair,” providing the industry with a clear vision.

Guo Dan, Marketing Director of Unilever Food Solutions North Asia, stated that the wisdom of Dujiangyan—”leveraging trends and adapting to local conditions”—is equally applicable to the current development of Sichuan cuisine. The catering industry must proactively discern trends and adapt to evolving consumer demands to navigate cycles. In 2026, the catering market fundamentals remain stable, and Sichuan cuisine has achieved national and global penetration. Guided by global trends, Sichuan cuisine will anchor itself in local cultural logic and consumer soil, using more fitting trend styles and innovations to meet new-generation needs, achieving a comprehensive upgrade from taste to experience, and jointly advancing to new horizons of Sichuan cuisine.

During the “Sichuan Path Discourse” roundtable forum, numerous Sichuan cuisine veterans and industry experts gathered for a deep intellectual exchange on contemporary expressions of Sichuan cuisine. Facing generational shifts in consumer demographics and the reshaping landscape by digital technology, panelists unanimously agreed that Sichuan cuisine must uphold its authentic flavors while proactively embracing change. Academic Sichuan cuisine master Mao Xinyu pointed out that traditional techniques face gaps and the impact of food delivery services, advocating “preserving flavor as the root, innovation as the wing,” using digital tools like short videos to let young people appreciate the craftsmanship of Sichuan cuisine. Wang Zhengjin, founder of the Nantang Guan series of brands, drawing insights from Unilever Food Solutions’ 2026 Future Food Trends Report, proposed “familiar freshness,” citing examples such as Mapo Tofu infused with lobster and matsutake mushrooms, the “smell, deconstruct, accompany with pepper” three-step dining ritual for Gongjiao Pigeon, and narrative menu design, interpreting “Flavor Innovation”—preserving the logic of 24 flavor types while breaking boundaries in ingredients, presentation, and scenarios. Chen Ya, founder of Fusion Xunxiang, emphasized that “pleasure is the first course,” achieving an upgrade in the warmth of “Street-side Hustle and Bustle” through customized services and key touchpoint SOPs. Liang Shuo, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Federation of Chinese Catering Industry, proposed “Shu charm as the root, modern flair as the wing,” avoiding three pitfalls: blind mixing, excessive internet-fad trends, and neglecting talent, while advocating standards first, digital empowerment, and cultural export. Renowned food blogger Curinan depicted the new realm of “Boundless Fusion” from a C-end consumer perspective, believing that young people are more willing to pay for meals with memorable points, shareability, and repurchase intent, calling for breaking regional boundaries and “breaking down the wall in diners’ minds.”

Host Chen Lei, a catering industry expert from Ipsos, concluded in his summary that consumers do not pay for labels; they only pay for genuine value. The true value of Sichuan cuisine lies in the craftsmanship rooted in flavor logic and expressions adapted to contemporary life. The refinement and upgrade of Sichuan cuisine should not lose its street-side warmth; upholding tradition while innovating is the fundamental path to the future.

Practical Empowerment, Facilitating the Implementation of Sichuan Flavor Evolution Trends

This event deeply integrated trend releases with practical empowerment, providing industry partners with a complete closed loop from concept to implementation through training courses and a gala dinner.

The “Refined Operations Training Course for Catering Enterprises” focused on the “people, goods, and venue” catering model, helping enterprises optimize menu structures, improve dish gross margins, and reduce kitchen pressure. Its underlying logic was a deep response to the “Street-side Hustle and Bustle” trend—transforming the warmth of street-side stalls into scalable, standardized logic, allowing restaurants to maintain a down-to-earth atmosphere while achieving efficiency and cost balance. The “Food Aesthetics Innovation Training Course” closely aligned with the “Boundless Fusion” and “Shu Charm with Modern Flair” trends, advancing from food design system awareness to aesthetic thinking innovation, driving breakthroughs in visual presentation and brand expression for Sichuan cuisine.

The implementation of Sichuan flavor evolution trends was vividly demonstrated during the “Shu Charm Night” gala dinner. Unilever Food Solutions’ professional culinary team deeply participated in the development of dinner dishes, perfectly integrating professional seasoning techniques with Sichuan flavor innovation. Leveraging their precise understanding of ingredient characteristics and unique insights into flavor balance, the team infused traditional Sichuan flavors with modern professional expressions. The “Bayu Beef Chili Pepper Crab” incorporated the spicy, numbing, and aromatic flavors of Bayu street cuisine into refined dishes, with rich beef tallow and pungent pepper, capturing the fiery warmth of street-side fare while showcasing the bold and refreshing ingenuity of Sichuan cuisine. The “Mountain Pepper Cold Spring Poached Abalone” used molecular gastronomy’s low-temperature slow-cooking technique combined with the essence of Sichuan-style numbing and aromatic seasoning, allowing precise temperature control to deeply converse with the soul of Sichuan flavors, becoming an ultimate expression of “Boundless Fusion.”

Wang Quan, Sales Director of Unilever Food Solutions Western Region, also stated in his opening remarks: “The trends we propose can genuinely help everyone’s business and improve kitchen efficiency.” From trends to training courses to the dinner table, from methodologies to practical cases, this event made trends truly tangible as concrete improvements in every dish and operation.

Joint Empowerment, Co-creating a New Chapter for Sichuan Cuisine with Peers

The enduring vitality of Sichuan cuisine stems from its ability to both preserve the roots of its authentic flavors and boldly break boundaries to create new chapters. As the catering industry continues to recover, with evolving consumer demands and rapidly changing scenarios, the key question for Sichuan cuisine is how to seize the momentum and rise to the occasion.

Unilever Food Solutions’ brand Knorr, as a leading professional catering service brand in China, leverages global perspectives and deep local roots, always standing alongside the Sichuan cuisine industry. The four major trends released at this event are not just directional judgments but a set of actionable methodologies: from “Street-side Hustle and Bustle” helping street-side flavors achieve replicable operations, “Flavor Innovation” making traditional Sichuan flavors more diverse and healthier, to “Boundless Fusion” breaking boundaries in techniques, cuisines, and ingredients, and “Shu Charm with Modern Flair” reconstructing brand expression through aesthetic thinking, providing direction for the industry to grasp trends and seize opportunities.

Through this event, Unilever Food Solutions not only built a platform for cultural exchange and industry connection but also, with professional solutions, helped catering professionals move beyond the single label of “numbing and spicy symbols,” achieving upgrades through richer flavor systems and expression paths. Rooted in Shu’s natural resources and embracing open innovation, Knorr will continue to collaborate with industry partners, deeply cultivating the heritage and innovation of Sichuan cuisine, leading Sichuan flavors toward broader new horizons.