Tastemakers: Chefs – Forbes.com
You no longer have to live in New York or California to taste the best food in America. That’s because young chefs have set up shop in smaller cities and rural areas, many in order to be closer to the farmers and ranchers who supply their raw materials. For others, it’s because the palates of small town diners have grown more sophisticated.
It’s no wonder Americans now dish out nearly half their food budgets on dining out, according to the National Restaurant Association. Sales in the industry have grown steadily for more than 15 years and are expected to increase 5% in 2007, to $537 billion, with $181.6 billion of that coming from full service restaurants. Click on the link for the list of chefs in pictures, as well as the rest of the article.