's homegrown rock-star chef Johnny Monis, 33, this salad goes easy on the bread and heavy on the vegetables.

WSJ: Johnny Monis's Green Bean and Pea Panzanella | Slow Food Fast

At ZED451 in downtown Chicago chef Patrick Quakenbush prepares a braised octopus salad paired with more familiar ingredients including frisee, kalamata olives, heirloom tomatoes, fresh oregano, cucumbers and a lemon vin.

FORBES: Chefs Redefine Comfort Foods

Allow the chef to prepare a balanced meal composed of five essential dishes: Thai salad (yum), chilli relish (kreung jim), stir fry (jan phat), curry (keng) and soup (nahm keng).

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At the White Barn Inn Restaurant in Kennebunkport, the only AAA Five Diamond restaurant north of New York City, chef Jonathan Cartwright has a House Smoked Salmon and Marinated Maine Shrimp with a Grape, Pear and Walnut Salad featuring Concord grapes on his holiday menu.

FORBES: Concord Grapes: The Little Purple Fruit That Packs A Powerful Punch!

Also inspired by the beauty and bounty of this region are chef Andrew Sutton's creative menus at Auberge de Soleil, where diners find shrimp cocktail or a tomato gazpacho salad for their pleasure ( 77K AIFF sound or 77K WAV sound).

CNN: Dining in California's wine country