The Local Ingredients Top Chefs in America Celebrate as the Gold Standard

Across different regions of the country, chefs highlight the local ingredients that inspire them the most.

Mesquite bean cake served at chef Steve McHugh’s restaurant, Cured. Mesquite beans are the seed pods from mesquite trees, commonly found in Texas. Veronica Luna

Great ingredients make great dishes. But some ingredients are more powerful than others. They carry history, amazing flavor, and incredible versatility. American Essence asked top chefs which ingredients they consider their gold standards—the ones they return to again and again, which represent the unique terroir of where they’re sourced.

Their answers are as diverse as the geography of America: nutty mesquite beans, smoked lake trout that whispers of campfires, and crisp apples that immediately conjure fall memories.