Welcome 2009! Let's hope a change in the year can bring about a positive turn for our world, economy and lives. I'm certain it will change our local food scene. I thought I would put a few predictions out there pertaining to the trends in our Santa Fe dining culture, strictly based on my 15-year experience as a member of the hospitality industry.

As diners narrow their spending budgets, restaurateurs will really have to be on their toes to ensure that dining experiences are fantastic, food is terrific and service is impeccable — all while keeping an eye on pricing. There won't be room for those surly, grumpy staff members who somehow managed to keep their jobs in the economy of yore. It will be time to drop the attitude and assume a position of gratitude when folks patronize restaurants (I look forward to seeing some of those curmudgeons I encountered in 2008, bending over backward to be nice this year!).

Food magazines are already predicting a return to comfort food, even in the higher-end restaurants. Let's hope that the price tag for these down-home dishes like beef short ribs, pot roasts and calf liver are offered at a comforting price. I predict restaurants will get more creative with their wine lists and pricing to offer value bottles, perhaps from newly developing wine regions.

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I've been pondering who might be our next superstar chef. I'm betting Encantado Resort's Charles Dale will continue to rock the culinary boat this year; every single meal I enjoyed at Terra restaurant last fall was a winner.

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Coyote Café's Eric DiStefano should win a James Beard award for his amazing revamping and re-energizing of the downtown institution. An eight-course tasting menu offered last autumn was so perfectly executed — including unusual cocktails and wine pairings by co-owner and mixologist extraordinaire Quinn Stephenson — that it went down in my books as the best meal of my writing career. DiStefano has been wowing us for over a decade, and it's time he was awarded nationally.

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Whatever happens, this will be the year that separates the best from the so-so; survival of the fittest. I know I intend to keep dining out as much as I can in our city's wonderful restaurants, and I hope that you do too!

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Fans of Diego's Café and Bar in DeVargas Center were saddened when it closed late last August, but the former site is about to open under new management. George Gundry, who for the past few years has lorded over the Santa Fe Farmers Market as executive director, will revamp and launch the as-yet unnamed Northern New Mexican restaurant early this spring. The focus will be on fresh and healthy versions of local favorites, a concept Gundry is certainly familiar with given his farmers market experience. There will be a full bar and the new spot will be open for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week.

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Another interesting addition to the Santa Fe scene will be the Sunflower Farmers Market, which will open in the old Albertsons site at DeVargas Center. I'm not familiar with the supermarket chain, which has stores in Texas, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Albuquerque, but the store Web site touts mission statements that include: "better than supermarket quality at better than supermarket prices," and "We keep our overhead low. No fancy fixtures or high rent. No corporate headquarters ... just people like you, looking for the best deals we can find." The opening is set for some time in March, with a second location at Zafarano Drive and Cerrillos Road slated to open this summer.

To share a tip or dish about the local food scene, send an e-mail to chefjohnnyvee@aol.com or call (505) 699-3419.