The year is almost at a close, and we’re already excitedly looking forward to what new trends we’ll be exploring in 2018. But a lot happened in the world of food this year that deserves its due before the calendar runs out on 2017. From celebrity chef wardrobe changes to crazy limited-time launches at our fave fast-food joints, here are all the best food moments of the past year.
1. Amazon bought Whole Foods
In a huge merger, Amazon bought out Whole Foods. Eventually, many prices in the store could be lowered as much as 15 to 25 percent, and they’re probably going to up their delivery game too. Avocados for all!
2. Costco launched delivery
Costco launched CostcoGrocery, delivering nonperishable items to your home with next-day delivery. Never having to lug industrial-size packs of toilet paper home from the store is something we can all be thankful for.
3. Oprah started selling soup
Oprah Winfrey partnered with Kraft to create her own line of refrigerated soups and sides called O, That’s Good. We trust Winfrey with pretty much everything, and her cheesy pasta with white bean purée is proof she knows what she’s doing.
4. Starbucks gave us mermaids & unicorns
Everyone was obsessed with magical rainbow creatures this year, and Starbucks didn’t disappoint. They released a pretty mermaid Frappuccino in Mexico, while stateside they came out with a fruity unicorn Frappucino.
5. Pizza Hut employees helped during Harvey
The devastation caused by hurricanes this year was truly horrifying, but there were some stories of people doing good that emerged to give us a little hope. Pizza Hut employees in Houston got into kayaks and delivered pizza to people who were stranded by the floods and running out of food. Now that’s customer service.
6. Chipotle started serving queso
Results are still mixed, but Chipotle finally started serving queso with their chips and as an add-on to your meal. They’ve still got a few kinks to work out in the recipe, but we’re stoked we can finally drench our food in cheese sauce at one more restaurant.
More:Avocados Just Became Even More Hipster
7. Halo Top came out with vegan flavors
This was the year of Halo Top. It seems everyone fell in love with the low-cal ice cream brand except for one thing: They didn’t have anything for vegans. Luckily, due to customer demand, they released seven new nondairy flavors so we can all snack on almost-ice cream in harmony.
8. Oprah fell in love with pretzel dogs
Winfrey is on our list twice because she was honestly pretty busy this year. But our fave Winfrey news was that while filming A Wrinkle in Time, Ava DuVernay introduced her to the mall food court pretzel dog, and it’s now her favorite food. I mean, does it get more relatable than that?
9. McDonald’s Szechuan sauce promo caused thousands of people to lose their freaking minds
McDonald’s brought back Szechuan sauce for one day only as part of an unofficial tie-in with the cult animated favorite Rick and Morty. Things got totally out of hand as thousands of desperate fans tried to get their hands on the stuff, only to find the chain was in seriously short supply. The police even had to get involved at some locations, and McDonald’s was left apologizing to customers and promising Szechuan sauce would make a more successful comeback in the near future. It was… hilarious.
10. Chrissy Teigen crowdsourced bananas
Chrissy Teigen wanted to make banana bread, but she didn’t have any brown bananas. The stars — they’re just like us! Well, except that she then reached out to her 8.98 million Twitter followers and found a random person in LA who agreed to share her brown bananas with Teigen in exchange for a copy of her book. And yet when I Tweet out how desperate I am for someone to bring me coffee, all I’m met with is radio silence.
11. Barack Obama & Justin Trudeau had a bro-date
Everyone’s fave heartthrob politicians, former President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, engaged in what I can only assume was some hot gossip about world leaders over a candlelit meal at Liverpool House restaurant in Montreal.
12. We finally got Kinder Eggs!
Kinder Eggs, chocolate eggs that have a toy hidden inside, have long been banned in the U.S. due to a potential choking hazard. But the company found a work-around and brought the new Kinder Joy to our shores. Now, a bunch of 30-year-olds who were deprived of the treat as kids can finally indulge.
13. McDonald’s delivers
We’re used to having to get in the car when the craving for Egg McMuffins and Big Macs strikes. But now, the car will come to you thanks to McDonalds’ partnership with UberEats. Because nothing tastes better than literally exerting zero effort to get your food.
More:We’re Calling It Now — These 17 Foods Are Going to Blow Up in 2018
14. Nicole Kidman gave Giada De Laurentiis shade on Ellen
Giada De Laurentiis appeared on Ellen to do a cooking segment, and fellow guest Nicole Kidman was there to look on. She was not impressed with what was cooking, though, and hilariously didn’t even try to hide her feelings.
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