In May, researchers at Brigham Young University published the findings of their extensive new study in the journal.

She spent five years working her way up to become the first-ever chef de cuisine at Kostow's The Restaurant at Meadowood.So when Kostow opened this more casual restaurant nearby, she was more than ready to take the reins.At The Charter Oak, Hong draws from the same well of gorgeous Napa-grown ingredients she had access to at Meadowood, but the results here feel limber and spontaneous.

She smashes potatoes and fries them up like tostones, draping them in Mendocino seaweed, local honey, and brown butter.She reimagines ranch dressing as a tangy, funky blend of fermented soybeans and crème fraîche, served with a platter of vivid crudités.She brines chicken in buttermilk, grills it slow and steady, and pairs it with subtle nods to her wine-country home: fresh grapes wrinkled over the fire, raisins, preserved young grape leaves, splashes of verjus.

It takes a real savant to deliver knockouts like these, as delicious as they are studious.Hong spent years winding her spool of experience at Meadowood.

But at The Charter Oak, she lets it fly.. 04. of 10.

Liz Johnson—Freedman's, Los Angeles.Bolo Cremoso de Milho (Creamy Corn Cake).

Like a sweet cornbread with a creamy custard layer, this Brazilian beauty forgoes the bowl altogether — the batter is mixed quickly in a blender, and it separates into two distinct layers as it bakes.. Get the Recipe.Carrot-Almond Snack Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Rich, dense, and moist, this sheet cake hits all the right notes — cream cheese frosting is an undeniable crowd favorite.. Get the Recipe.Coconut Milk Cake with Pistachios, Whipped Coconut Cream, and Strawberry Glaze.