Kellogg and General Mills are paying chefs to make gourmet food out of cereal
The latest trend in the cereal business: a partnership with a suitably hip chef.
As millennials are ditching cereal in favor of more convenient breakfast options, Kellogg and General Mills are turning to trendy chefs for inspiration.
On Monday, General Mills announced a National Cereal Day partnership with Justin Warner, winner of Food Network Star and co-founder of the shuttered Brooklyn restaurant Do or Dine.
Kellogg has already debuted the fruits of similar partnerships with Milk Bar's Christina Tosi and Mission Chinese Food's Danny Bowien.
All three chefs are known for their inventive, distinct culinary styles, and managed to whip up dishes that transcend the classic bowl of cereal. Here are a few of the best.
Christina Tosi helped kick off the trend, hosting a New York City cereal pop up in June 2014 and leading Kellogg's Stir Up Breakfast campaign the next year.
A post shared by christinatosi (@christinatosi) on Sep 23, 2015 at 5:56pm PDT
One of her hits was Berry Au Lait: Frosted Mini-Wheats and Milk Bar cereal milk, plus ground coffee and raspberries.
Danny Bowien debuted breakfast at Mission Chinese Food in New York City in December, with options like Green Tea Noodles with Frosted Flakes.
A post shared by Mission NYC (@eatatmission) on Dec 18, 2015 at 5:22am PST
The partnership was the first time that Mission Chinese Food served breakfast.
A post shared by Mission NYC (@eatatmission) on Dec 19, 2015 at 7:24am PST
The menu items all contained Kellogg's cereal, but were classic Mission Chinese style. This is what Corn Pops look like when served with a fried egg, bacon-infused milk, and a side of bacon.
A wide array of Kellogg's brands were featured on the menu.
A post shared by Kellogg's (@kelloggsus) on Dec 19, 2015 at 6:55pm PST
Here's Corn Flakes, with sweet and salty corn powder, yogurt, and berries.
While Mission Chinese Food only served its Kellogg's breakfast menu for one weekend, some Kellogg's treats have stuck around on the menu.
A post shared by Mission NYC (@eatatmission) on Jan 10, 2016 at 10:16am PST
These Froot Loops aren't for kids. This "brunch shot" also contains gin, ginger, kaffir lime leaf, coconut, and dehydrated raspberry.
Justin Warner's partnership with General Mills is less breakfast-focused.
General Mills
About 30% of cereal is consumed outside of breakfast hours in the US, according to Kellogg CEO John Bryant. Several years ago, it was just 20%.
It would take a daring chef to attempt to prepare Warner's Cocoa Puff Beef Nuggets.
General Mills
"When I want to experiment with a new recipe, I look at everything in my kitchen – not just what's in this shelf or that shelf. That's one thing people can do to get in the mindset of incorporating cereal," Warner said to General Mills.
More accessible is the Fruity Cheerio Colada, which can be made with rum or coconut water.
General Mills
All of Warner's recipes can be found on General Mills' website.
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