Gnocchi—Italian for dumplings—are ideal for chefs and home cooks who like to experiment with different flavor combinations. For a heartier dish, add your favorite cooked protein.

Lamb and mint are a traditional pairing. Adding mint to chimichurri brings a familiar yet slightly different vibrancy to chef John Fisher’s best-selling appetizer. 

Chef John Fisher often serves this dish to his staff prior to opening for the evening, during what’s called family meal in the restaurant business. “With all the citrus and fresh vegetables, it gives California vibes of being a little bit lighter and healthier,” he says.

Christian Novak, executive chef of Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge in Tahoe City, based this recipe on his mother’s bolognaise. He typically serves it with pappardelle.

Chef Michael Hung says making this refreshing soup is not much more difficult than selecting the best ingredients (easy in California at this time of year!) and blending them together.

Chef Marcel Vigneron's Miso honey salmon recipe requires several steps but is relatively easy to prepare.

Spatchcocking, which involves splitting and spreading a chicken prior to roasting it, is a game-changing skill. When a whole chicken is prepared this way, it cooks faster and gets crispier skin.

This is a popular dish from Bravas Bar de Tapas, chef Mark Stark’s Spanish restaurant. Any fish can be substituted for the scallops.