Study: One in 10 Americans Qualifies for ‘Ultimate Foodie’ Status

The term “foodie” has been loved and hated for more than three decades, and its definition has expanded over the years to include just about everyone who likes to eat. To better understand what “being a foodie” really means, French mustard maker Maille commissioned a new consumer research study, conducted by Ipsos with a representative sample of 3,000 people across the United States, United Kingdom and France in July 2015. 

The results have identified a breed of Ultimate Foodies, for whom food is a way of life.

According to this research, one in 10 Americans is an Ultimate Foodie:

•Ultimate Foodies spend more than 10 hours in the kitchen each week, 2.5 hours longer than the national average.

•Ultimate Foodies visit five times the number of new restaurants (22 percent vs. 4 percent for non-foodies) and three times the number of pop-up or street food restaurants (22 percent vs. 7 percent). 

•More than one in four  (27 percent) say they would never eat at a chain restaurant, compared to only 9 percent of non-foodies.

•More than half (61 percent) take inspiration from their dining out experiences when creating meals at home. 

•Ultimate Foodies are much more likely to look out for the latest trends in food and drink (72 percent vs. 21 percent for non-foodies). 

•They would much rather be a celebrity chef (29 percent) than a professional sports star (10 percent) or a pop musician (7 percent).

•More than half (54 percent) of Ultimate Foodies spend most of a day preparing a meal for guests at least once a month.

•When they’re not cooking, Ultimate Foodies dine out an average of 13 times a month (compared to seven times a month for non-foodies), and spend $209 a month eating out, compared to the national average of $140.50. 

Most often working professionals living in urban areas of the United States, Ultimate Foodies are evenly split between men and women and encompass a wide range of 

ages and income levels, according to this new study. 

To inspire Ultimate Foodies around the world, Maille created The Ultimate Foodie 50, a bucket list of food techniques, experiences and tastes. Maille invites food lovers to access the list at www.maille.com to see which of the 50 they’ve already achieved and to motivate them to take on new culinary challenges.

Highlights include: 

1.  Have spices from five continents in the kitchen

2.  Make a perfect béarnaise sauce 

3.  Successfully recreate a dish you tasted in a restaurant, without a recipe

4.  Taste savory gelato

5.  Forage for ingredients

6.  Maintain a sourdough starter for over a year

7.  Prepare a crystal-clear consommé

8.  Choose a vacation destination to taste a local delicacy 

9.  Take a cookbook on vacation as your beach read 

10.  Host a supper club