Paul Mattison
Founder, Mattisons Restaurants and Catering
“Many things come to mind, but most recently, and in the rare category, I would have to say Abalone. There is only one producer of Abalone and they are on the west coast in or around Monterey, I believe. About a year or two ago, I met one of the founders of that company who is now living here in Southwest Florida. He was in process of starting a new production facility, and was using the Aquaculture Park at Mote to start the spawning. He brought me some to work with and we had Kumar [Mahadaveen, former Mote president] and some of the other directors of Mote to the restaurant to try some sample recipes using the product. We even combined it with Mote’s caviar in a couple of the dishes. Shortly after that, I featured it in a dinner we did for Winefest. People really loved it. The flavor profile is unique, and it is delicious. I would compare it to the foie gras of the sea.”

Phil Mancini
Co-Proprietor, Michael’s On East
“Squid ink. While we may see this ingredient more often today, it’s the dish which was so unique: Squid Ink Ice Cream. The dish was specially-designed to pair with a champagne course for a private party held in a client's private home this past season. Michael’s On East Pastry Chef Catherine Tighe, who makes all of our house-made ice creams in our in-house pastry shop, created the Squid Ink Ice Cream, which was served with black caviar. The ice cream itself was beautiful, a smooth charcoal color and very soft consistency—and it tasted great.”

Derek Barnes
Founder, Derek’s Rustic, Coastal, Cuisine
“The rarest ingredient I have worked with was ‘Hand Cultivated Jimbu’ from the hill country of Katmandu, Nepal. My wife and I spent one month in Katmandu four years ago, while receiving our daughter Reshma. While perusing all of the open street markets, I found Jimbu amongst other fun and unusual foodie provisions. Jimbu is a spice made of allium. Allium’s flavor profile is a combination of onion, garlic and chive. When we arrived home, I immediately went to work playing with all of the exciting ingredients. The Jimbu was used in a soufflé with caramelized onions and yak’s milk. It was light, airy and fluffy with a punch of onion and left you with a savory finish.”

Mark Woodruff
Executive Chef, MADE
“Pig trotters (pigs feet) come to mind. They were given to me from a chef instructor during culinary school as sort of a homework project. I threw them on my smoker for about three hours, finished them on the grill with some barbeque sauce. They were delicious.” SRQ