Local chefs and cooks share their go-to countries for culinary inspiration
Chef’s favorite things
Palmetto Bay Sunrise Cafe
“France. Julia Child, hollandaise, Mornay sauce – everything is rich, gooey and beautiful.” – Leslie Stewart
Charlie’s Coastal Bistro
“My time abroad in Italy made a huge impression on how I view good cooking. The freshest and simplest ingredients are the best. I am definitely drawn toward Mediterranean flavors that are pervasive throughout Southern Italian, Provencal and Spanish cooking. Just let the ingredients do the talking in a dish.” – Margaret Pearman
Cassandra’s Kitchen Store
“Currently, it would be Greece. Healthy and lots of flavor.” – Cassandra Schultz
Lulu Kitchen
“I would say Italy because it has the cleanest food, meaning not a lot of chemicals or byproducts. They only make tomato sauce when the tomatoes are at peak flavor; there’s no mass production to feed the masses. Their techniques go back centuries, and they still do it the same way their great-great-grandmothers did it.” – Chef Scott Hastings
Palmetto Bluff Club
“For me, I always revert back to my homeland of Australia. Australia is truly a multicultural country, filled with immigrants from all over the world. With our proximity to Southeast Asia, we are heavily influenced by the fresh vibrant flavors of Vietnamese cuisine, but we also have a very large Greek population, so there is an amazing Mediterranean presence in our cuisine.” — Chef Rhy Waddington
