I went to Portugal with some friends a couple of summers ago. What was so memorable about that trip was that we're all foodies, and we're really spontaneous. We just grabbed our Lonely Planet and our road map and we took off to the Algarve. We hit the coast and it was like nothing I've ever experienced in my life, it was absolutely stunning. There's a little town called Carvoeiro, which is a little seaside town, tiny, tiny, an intimate fishing village nestled in big huge white cliffs. The beaches were pure. The water was pristine. And it's all about the chicken piri-piri, the olive oil and the fresh sea salt that you sprinkle on top – it was like the best chicken I've had. For me, cooking has to be real. And it has to be very pure and delicious. I try to source out the best flavours and ingredients from different areas that I've travelled and make recipes. But how can you replicate that chicken piri-piri, when the waves are crashing, and the sun is shining, and you're out sipping sangria? That's the quest for you, always trying to capture that moment one more time.

Lynn Crawford is the executive chef at Four Seasons in New York.