When the festive season arrives, even the most decorated chefs set aside restaurant perfection to cook the dishes that truly mean something. A recent survey found more than half of Americans rely on a signature family recipe each holiday, often one passed down for decades. For culinary professionals, this pull towards personal, sentimental cooking is especially strong.
From Restaurant Kitchens to Family Tables
The Independent spoke with four acclaimed chefs to uncover the recipes they turn to when cooking for their loved ones. These are not elaborate showpieces but heartfelt dishes steeped in memory and tradition, offering a glimpse into the private celebrations of culinary experts.
Christina Tosi's Nostalgic Sugar Cookie Squares
Christina Tosi, founder of the Milk Bar empire, returns each year to a simple treat named after her mother. "The Gretas" are sugar cookie squares that remind her of being away at university. "I was raised on these sugar cookie squares," Tosi shared. She fondly recalls receiving pans of them weekly in the post, a taste of home when she had no kitchen of her own.
To this day, they represent cozy comfort and are a holiday staple. Her recipe calls for basic ingredients like butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla, finished with decorative sprinkles or cinnamon sugar. Tosi prefers them slightly underbaked, recommending 20 to 25 minutes in a 350°F oven.
Ian Boden's Hearty Hungarian Egg Barley
For Ian Boden, chef at Maude & the Bear in Staunton, Virginia, the holidays are about egg barley, a dish inspired by his late Hungarian grandmother. While she made it from a box, Boden's from-scratch version is cooked in schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) for richer flavour.
The dish involves making a simple dough from flour, eggs, and oil, grating it, toasting the pieces, and then simmering them in a savoury broth with onions and garlic. It was such a hit when featured on his restaurant's tasting menu that customers repeatedly named it a favourite. For Boden, it's a tangible link to his family heritage.
Chetan Shetty's Fragrant Winter Spice Blend
Chetan Shetty, executive chef at Passerine in New York City, draws on memories of seasonal scent changes in India for his Winter Garam Masala Blend. "I think winters, you feel a lot of orange, citric, lavender," he explained, describing the aromas that evoke nostalgia for him.
His versatile blend includes cinnamon, cardamom, Kashmiri chilli, star anise, and citrus zests. It's designed for rubbing on a holiday turkey but can also be used as a finishing touch for soups, gravies, or roasted vegetables. Shetty recommends marinating the bird with the blend for up to six hours, or even overnight, for deeper flavour before roasting.
Scott Conant's Evolved Family Lasagna
Television personality and restaurateur Scott Conant's festive centrepiece is a lasagna that bridges his past and present. He grew up eating his mother's Neapolitan-style version with ricotta. After working with chefs in Bologna, Italy, he adapted it to create a richer dish featuring fresh pasta sheets, a slow-cooked meat bolognese, and a fontina and Parmigiano bechamel.
For Conant, the process is as important as the result. "Spending time in the kitchen with the people that you love and care about most. What else is there?" he reflected. His recipe is a labour of love, from rolling the pasta to simmering the sauce, embodying the holiday spirit of connection through food.
The Common Ingredient: Connection
Across these diverse recipes—from cookies to lasagna—the unifying theme is the use of food to connect with family and heritage. For these chefs, the holidays are a time to step away from professional pressures and cook with heart, using recipes that tell a personal story. Their dishes offer inspiration for home cooks looking to add meaning, as well as flavour, to their own festive tables.
