18 Dishes That Even Celeb Chefs Would Travel For

What's the one ingredient or dish you'd hop on a plane for?
Sea urchin pasta in Palermo.
—Gail Simmons, "Top Chef," author, Talking With My Mouth Full

What's the one ingredient you'd hop on a plane for?
Any kind of shellfish preparation at Rafa's in Roses, Spain, along Costa Brava. In particular, they have these delicious tallerinas, these very unique clams that are only found in that part of the Mediterranean.
—George Mendes, Aldea, New York City

What's the one ingredient you'd hop on a plane for?
Soup dumplings in Hong Kong. There are a couple of places I go to—there are so many good ones.
—Jamie Bissonnette, Toro, Boston and New York City

What’s the one ingredient you’d jump on a plane for?
One ingredient I’d jump on a plane for would be fraises des bois—the wild strawberries from France. They can’t be shipped here. They can’t be transported. They can’t be cultivated here.
—Johnny Iuzzini, author, Dessert FourPlay and Sugar Rush

What's the one ingredient or dish you'd hop on a plane for?
I would hop on a plane to go back to Mugaritz, in Guipúzcoa, Spain, to eat a dish that was made of shaved ice topped with a chilled reduction of prawn heads. It was cold and refreshing, with this boost of flavor from the sauce made from the heads of prawns.

The texture of the ice was incredible, it was like cotton; they used a Japanese ice shaver with a hand crank to shave the ice. After I saw that dish, I bought a Japanese ice shaver for my restaurant, Nightbell.

—Katie Button, Curate, Asheville, NC

What is the one ingredient you’d hop on a plane for?
I’d hop on a plane for anything spicy and vibrant, like Southeast Asian foods. Any kind of Thai stir-fried noodles, Vietnamese stir-fried noodles—something like that. I would jump anywhere from Sri Lanka to Chiang Mai, to Bangkok to Phuket, to Vietnam to Laos, to anywhere.
—Ken Oringer, Toro, Boston and New York City

What's the one ingredient or dish you'd hop on a plane for?
Fried meat—whether it be Korean fried chicken on the streets of Seoul, schnitzel in Austria, Southern fried chicken, fried meat on a stick, tonkatsu, in Japan. And to be clear, I've barely even gone to all of the above. Fried is my weakness.
—Kristen Kish, co-host, 36 Hours

What is the one ingredient you’d jump on a plane for?It’s not an ingredient, but the perfect sushi bite. The idea of warm rice with the perfect sweetness and saltiness, and then when that fish is sliced, perfect thickness, that silky smooth—yeah, I’d jump on a plane for that.

Is there a place that you would go for that?Here in the States I actually love L.A. for sushi, because it’s not only on the high level, it’s also on the bottom level. And isn’t that when food is at its best when there’s a high and a low? So, definitely Los Angeles for that.
—Marcus Samuelsson, author, Yes, Chef; Red Rooster, New York City

What is the one ingredient you’d hop on a plane for?
Spanish foie gras. There’s a farmer named Eduardo Sousa that chef Dan Barber has been working with over in Spain, raising his geese in a way that allows the foie gras to recur naturally instead of by force feeding. And it’s pretty sensational stuff. You can’t get it over here—only Dan gets it—so you have to fly there to get it for yourself.
—Michel Nischan, CEO, Wholesome Wave

What's the one ingredient or dish you'd hop on a plane for?
Singapore for chili crab.
—Michelle Bernstein, Michy’s, Miami

What is the one ingredient you’d jump on a plane for?
I did jump on a plane for fish salt in Phú Quốc, Vietnam. It’s what crystallizes in the barrels when they make fish sauce, so it’s whatever’s left. They scrape it off the barrels.
—Paul Qui, Qui Restaurant and East Side King, Austin

What is the one ingredient you’d hop on a plane for?
You know, I have not been to Tokyo yet, so I would just jump on a plane to go to Tokyo to eat anything.
—Richard Blaise, author, Try This at Home

What is the one ingredient you’d hop on a plane for?
Genoa ham—Chinese Genoa ham. It’s not available in the United States. They just age it to death, and, ounce for ounce, it’s probably the most potent food ingredient you can find.
—Sang Yoon, Lukshon & Father's Office, California

What's the one ingredient or dish you'd hop on a plane for?
Rib-eye steak.
—Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune, New York City; author of Blood, Bones, and Butter

What is the one ingredient that you’d hop on a plane for?
No question—Tequila.
—Tim Love, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Fort Worth

What's the one ingredient or dish you'd hop on a plane for?
My family’s roasted lamb and homemade dishes on the island of Skiathos, Greece.
—Zoi Antonitsas, Top Chef

What's the one ingredient or dish you'd hop on a plane for?
There is really amazing authentic Japanese rice, and you can only get it in Japan. You have to go there to get it.
—Carla Hall, co-host, ABC's "The Chew," Cooking with Love

What's the one ingredient or dish you'd hop on a plane for?
Wine!
—Claudine Pepin, author, Kids Cook French