Gastronomy Blog

1. Corkage – As the economy stays stagnant, finding ways to draw guests more regularly will become more and more difficult. Restaurants offering much less expensive corkage or free corkage to sway diners to their establishments will have an upper hand.

2. More educated wait staffs – As diners become more sophisticated (or at least return to sophisticated dining), service will be put under a microscope. Not so much the “serve from the left, pick-up from the right”, rather can service articulate food and beverage intelligently. More or less, does the sales person have a clue what they are talking about.

3. Beyond Social Marketing – The Food Network has been around for over 16 years and has changed the way a generation looks at food, restaurants and chefs. The challenge in upcoming years will not be how to market a restaurant but how to become the culinary entertainment center of peoples lives. As more consumers spend less time with their tv’s and more time with their laptop and iPhone, restaurants are going to have to figure out how they will fit into this new world.

4. Chocolate as a Snack – I probably wouldn’t have put this in here if it weren’t for a local phenomenon. My children cry to have a chocolate truffle from Timothy-Adams when we are at the Vineyard Farmer’s Market, and children set trends. As cupcakes made a comeback in 2009 and should continue in 2010, truffles will make a comeback to satisfy urges for something small and sweet.

5. Healthy Alternatives – This has been coming for a long time. The farmer’s markets will get busier and fresh local ingredients will continue to climb in sales driven by societies need to become more healthy. But the big change will be cutting high fructose corn syrup and processed soy products out of diets.

6. Cookbooks – Charlie Trotter basically invented the coffee-table cookbook with 1994’s self titled cook (picture) book. Today with websites such as Lulu, a trend is brewing for local chef’s to produce the same thing on a smaller, local scale.

7. Belgium and Large Bottled Beers – I predict more restaurants will be adding a section of small batch imports. A larger selection of craft import beers bottled in 750ml and 500ml bottles are becoming more available. These make excellent pairing beverages for rich, intensely flavored foods and restaurants will make room for them on their wine lists. They aren’t cheap, but make a great addition to dining experiences.

8. Holes in the Wall – Trendy? Big Yes! As “Foodies” explore their neighborhoods and cities in search of culinary excellence, “Holes in the Wall” will find themselves in the limelight. Some Fresno businesses have already started their own cult followings such as La Elegante. As diners search for inexpensive, adventurous places to dine; back alleys and less than attractive neighborhoods will be their hunting grounds.

9. Charcouterie and Pickling- Cheese has had it’s limelight for too long. The cheese plate is boring and needs to be spiced up. What better way than adding locally produced Charcouterie and innovative pickles. In some areas this may replace the traditional lunch or dinner.

10. Prepared Foods For Home – As more and more people are cooking at home, some home cooks will bring spark to their entertaining by purchasing items from their favorite chef or restaurant… Don’t be surprised to be dining at a friends house and have Chef Vatche’s Bread Pudding for dessert or Chef Malachi’s Brick Chicken for an entree.