Photo by Tony DeFilippo.

By DCist contributor Victoria Finkle

Holidays are about a lot of things — unfettered consumerism, close confinement with your craziest relatives and, of course, food.

Whether it’s eggnog, mashed potatoes or something more exotic, everybody’s got a memorable comfort food for when the days get short and the weather turns chilly. So we asked some of D.C.’s best chefs about the dishes that hold a special place in their hearts this time of year. Their answers are below.

Dwayne Motley, executive chef at Nage Bistro

Pate a choux puffs

“My mom would make them every Christmas, and she would stuff them with chicken or ham salad. My family and I would always find our way to the kitchen when she would take them out of the oven. Then we would gather around the kitchen table and assemble the puffs. My father would always put too much stuffing. I really think he just wanted the ham salad.”

Michael Bonk, chef de cuisine at The Pig

Kielbasa with horseradish and spicy mustard

“We’re a Polish family, and anytime there was a family get-together we had to have it. I went a few times with my grandfather to buy kielbasa as a real young kid. … I still have very vivid memories of the smell of fresh sausage and how amazed I was watching how fast it was piped out of the machine. My grandmother would poach it in a chicken broth with lots of onions. It would be cooled and sliced. My grandfather made a spicy mustard, but we all loved to eat it with straight horseradish. All day long we’d be burning our nostrils. … I’m proud to say that [when] I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner with my wife, I made my own kielbasa and served it the same way. It was pretty significant to me.”

Handry Tjan, executive chef of Sushiko

Tempeh

“I was one of those lucky kids who came home everyday to have fresh, home-cooked meals by my mom. … My all-time favorite dish from childhood is tempeh, a traditional Indonesian dish of fermented soybeans that my mother used to make me before Christmas. Naturally, I crave those meals and smell them when I approach our front door. The earthy flavors, which become more pronounced as the tempeh ages, are full of umami.”

Ashley Soto, executive pastry chef at Farmers Fishers Bakers

Butternut cake

“The butternut cake that we sell at FFB is actually my grandmother’s recipe. She would make this cake for us on a regular basis. She also made a pound cake version and would pour the cream cheese icing over it like a glaze. This cake would barely survive the night. Having it on the menu is like reliving a holiday. The cake trimmings are some of my favorite snacks to enjoy offline.”

George Rodrigues, executive chef of Tico

Farofa

“This dish is widely used specially during the holidays as a stuffing for the turkey. In Brazilian culture, turkey is very popular on Christmas night, and I remember how much fun it was waking up a day before Christmas and feeling the excitement and happiness in the air. My mom (Ana Lucia) is a very gifted cook, and I was always by her side to help the preparations and cooking for the big feast that was our Christmas dinner. Even with two younger sisters, I was the only one in the kitchen, mostly because I loved scraping the bottom of the pans.”

Benjamin Tenner, chef de cuisine at Commissary

Latkes

“For the uninitiated, latkes are crispy, savory deep fried potato pancakes made by grating together potatoes and onions and mixing them with flour and eggs to make a loose batter. In my family, everyone had a different job: my sister and I would grate potatoes while my mother would finish the batter and fry the pancakes. It was a great night of bonding (and good food). We’re actually sharing my family tradition this year and having a celebration of latkes on December 22 and having an all-you-can-eat latke and doughnut bar here at Commissary that everyone should come check out.”

Marjorie Meek-Bradley, executive chef at Ripple and Roofers Union

Cranberries

“To me cranberries represent the holidays. I always loved cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving, and the color is so festive for Christmas. My mom would often decorate with them around Christmas, filling vases with them. She would also make cocktails with fresh cranberry juice. Right now, I have a burrata dish on the menu with honey poached cranberries.”

Meredith Tomason, pastry chef and founder of RareSweets

Cookies

“Holidays are all about cookies in my family. We have up to four or five different kinds of cookies baked throughout the season, which makes for a perfect afternoon sweet treat with some hot cocoa. Making cookies together with my mother and sister has been a tradition since I was tiny. While some of the cookies change over the years, two staples in our holiday repertoire are royal iced vanilla sugar cookies and my grandmother’s recipe for her cocoa crinkle cookies. I’m happy that I will be able to spread some holiday cheer to our customers this year with our version of her delicious cocoa crinkles.”

Jeremy Waybright, executive chef at Boss Shepherd’s

Braciole

“Braciole is the food that most reminds me of the holidays spent with my large Italian family. I enjoy everything, from the first smells of stuffed flank steak simmering in a pot of garlic and tomato to dipping bread in the sauce all morning because you can’t wait for it to be done.”