The festive season has a unique power to bring even the most celebrated chefs back to their culinary roots. Regardless of Michelin stars or industry accolades, this is the time when cooking becomes a deeply personal act of nostalgia and comfort.
The Sentimental Side of Festive Cooking
A recent survey commissioned by Jennie-O and conducted by Talker Research highlighted this tradition, finding that more than half of Americans depend on a signature family recipe each year, with many dishes passed down for decades. It is in this spirit that The Independent asked four acclaimed culinary figures to share the dishes they cook when feeding their own families, where the stakes are emotional, not professional.
Christina Tosi's Sweet Tribute
Christina Tosi, the founder of Milk Bar, returns each year to a simple yet sentimental bake: The Gretas. These sugar cookie squares are named after her mother and evoke powerful memories of her university days.
"I was raised on these sugar cookie squares," Tosi explained. "My fondest memories involved receiving disposable pans of them weekly when I was away at college." She prefers them slightly underbaked, cooked at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.
Ian Boden's Hearty Homage
For Ian Boden, chef at Maude & the Bear in Staunton, Virginia, the holidays mean Egg Barley. This recipe is his scratch-made tribute to the boxed version his Hungarian grandmother prepared.
"We always make it from scratch," Boden said, noting they cook theirs in schmaltz (rendered chicken fat). The dish proved so popular it featured on his restaurant's tasting menu for six weeks, quickly becoming a customer favourite.
Chetan Shetty's Aromatic Blend
Chetan Shetty, executive chef at Passerine in New York City, creates a Winter Garam Masala Blend inspired by the scents of the season. He recalls the changing aromas in India and now finds inspiration in New York's farmers' markets.
"I think winters, you feel a lot of orange, citric, lavender," Shetty shared. The versatile blend can be used to baste a turkey or as a finishing spice for soups and gravies.
Scott Conant's Layered Legacy
Television judge and restaurateur Scott Conant's holiday centrepiece is a Lasagna that fuses his mother's Neapolitan-style recipe with techniques he learned in Bologna, Italy. For Conant, the kitchen is the heart of the holiday.
"Food is just this conduit for connection," he reflected. "Spending time in a kitchen with the people that you love and care about most... What else is there?" His elaborate recipe involves making fresh pasta sheets, a rich bolognese, and a fontina and parmigiano béchamel.
Bringing Chef-Quality Comfort Home
These recipes, shared on Saturday 20 December 2025, underscore that for top chefs, holiday cooking is less about spectacle and more about soul. From Tosi's comforting cookies to Conant's layered pasta, each dish tells a story of family, memory, and the simple joy of cooking for loved ones. They offer home cooks a chance to weave a little of that culinary sentimentality into their own festive celebrations.
