Three Chefs Explain How They Mine Their Heritages for the Menu

Take a chef to a farmer’s market, and he will get excited. Ask him about authenticity, and he will get exercised. Nothing inspires as much heated talk among chefs these days as this seemingly innocuous and straightforward word. And among an ever-growing legion of chefs whose menus don’t just tell you what they’re serving, but map their attempts to reconcile past and present, the questions are even more pointed.

What does authenticity mean...