1. Required Healthy Diets – Consumers are increasingly becoming more concerned with eating healthy food, not so much as by choice but out of necessity.
2. Food Network – The food network makes celebrity chefs out of all of us.
3. Gourmet Kitchens – We are no longer content with kitchen gadgets and a new cook book, they want professional kitchens with multiple ovens, oversized refrigerators and other tools of the trade.
4. Exotic Travel – Lower airfares, globalization, travel magazines and world travel books have all contributed to a desire for people to see the world and not just cosmopolitan cities.  As people travel to places like Yerga Cheffe in Ethiopia they want to bring back authentic coffee beans to become the new trophy over the living room mantle.
5. Gourmet Markets – Today, Whole Foods and a host of other specialty food purveyors are located in every city of any real size.  These markets provide the inspiration and a plentiful supply of ingredients to compliment virtually every type culinary adventure.
6. Celebrity Chefs – Finally, seemingly everyday people have become overnight celebrity chefs providing inspiration for every home chef.

Outlined below is a summary of major culinary changes in the market.
CULINARY TRENDS

1. Fresh new twists to humble foods such as artisanal cheeses used in macaroni and cheese.
2. Local produce.
3. Smaller portions.
4. Artisanal Liquor and Culinary Cocktails that are paired with foods.
5. Smoked meats and not fried.
6. Local sourcing.
7. Healthy foods.
8. Philosophy driven food choices (organic, free range).
9. Lean Protein.
10. Discovery of new corners of the world dishes such as Korean BBQ and Mongolian spiced roasted lamb.
11. Exotic Teas.
12. Slow food movement.
13. Bite size desserts.
14. New fabricated meat cuts.
15. Super fruits.
16. Regional versions of ethnic food, especially from Mexico and Italy.
17. Sustainable Seafood.
18. Chef’s Gardens.
19. Small plate menus.
20. Casual dining prepared by skilled chefs.
21. Healthy side items for children.

RESTAURANT TRENDS

1. Major, celebrity chef driven restaurants will be limited to major hotels, casinos and large new developments, which are willing to bankroll their lavish culinary edifices.  Conversely, stand alone culinary destinations are largely a phenomenon of the past and not something we will see in numbers as seen in the past decade.
2. In 2009 Las Vegas had more Top 20 restaurants (total sales volume) than New York City.  Other top culinary destinations include Chicago and Miami.  Surprisingly, Los Angeles does not have a restaurant in the top 20 in total volume.
3. Many of the highest volume restaurants in the U.S. opened their second units in Las Vegas in 2007 and 2008, only to be faced with a significant turn down in traffic in 2009.
4. Waiters will be replaced by chefs who served their own guests.
5. Restaurants will exploit the public interest in all things culinary with more face time with the chef, tours of the kitchen, cook books and blogs.
6. Elimination of special rooms for corporate parties.
7. Gourmet kitchens for take-out only.
8. Mobile kitchens serving gourmet simple food such as the Kogi BBQ truck in Los Angeles followed by thousands of Twitter followers.
9. Dining Decisions based on value.
10. Chef’s private gardens.