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TOP CHEFS FIND INSPIRATION CLOSE TO HOME Celebrated chefs Wolfgang Puck, Nancy Silverton, Gerald Hirigoyen and Martin Yan are known and active the world over, but they all call California home. For their award-winning restaurants, product lines, cookbooks and TV shows, they draw inspiration from the bountiful fresh ingredients the Golden State has to offer.
“C
alifornia is my favorite place in the world to cook,” said Puck. “The climate is such that we can get the best ingredients - the freshest produce, fish, nuts - with so much flavor.” It’s this same culinary opportunity that drew French-born Hirigoyen, the chef and owner of Piperade in San Francisco, to California. “The food revolution - knowing where food comes from, how nutritious it is, and supporting the people who grow it - was happening in California, so I came to progress, and with all we have available, continue to progress.” One California crop that has captured these chefs’ collective imagination of late? Pistachios. “I find their flavor and crunch irresistible and I love the color,” said L.A.-based chef Silverton. “It’s really easy to add pistachios to almost anything you make. Their flavor enhances other ingredients so well, but they can also be the star of a dish.” “The great thing about pistachios is they are just the right size, and they add flavor, color and texture to your dish, on top of all the nutritional benefits,” said Yan.
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FLUENTIAL MARCH / APRIL 2021
