It was Julia Child who said, “People who love to eat are always the best people.” I couldn’t agree more, and this past weekend was no exception. I flew to Newark, New Jersey, and then took an Uber to New York City to meet up with two of my chef friends — Jason Goldstein, also known as Chop Happy, and Chef Chris Valdes — from "Food Network Star," a culinary competition and TV show the three of us were cast to compete on in 2018. 

Since the show, we’ve remained friends, cheering each other on and supporting one another’s dreams. Chef Jason and his partner, Tom, have a home in the Hamptons, and they invited us to spend the weekend with them to explore all the hot spots, as recommended by celebrated cookbook author, TV host and year-round Hamptons resident Ina Garten, of whom we are all huge fans. 

From New York City, we drove two and a half hours to the Hamptons, a celebrity summer playground on Long Island and an escape for New Yorkers confined in a concrete jungle, ripe with beautiful beaches, upscale restaurants, art galleries and trendy boutiques. 

I had never been to the Hamptons but had seen many of the food meccas we visited — Amber Waves Farm, Loaves and Fishes, Carissa’s Bakery, and Citarella Gourmet Market, a chain of upscale grocery stores — on Ina’s beloved cooking show, "Barefoot Contessa." 

To walk in the same spots that Ina frequents was a surreal and fun experience. As soon as the doors open at Citarella in East Hampton, you are greeted with a wall of fresh flowers. The rows of freshly cut white hydrangeas in bouquets of three immediately transported me to a scene from Ina’s show where she makes her selection and returns home to prepare her table for a dinner party. 

Over the course of the weekend, we shopped and spent time at the pool and on the beach, where my friends spotted actor Mario Lopez. As relaxing and enjoyable as all those activities are, what I loved most was the time the three of us spent together cooking in the kitchen. 

We each made a signature dish to share — Chef Jason, a reverse pan-seared juicy ribeye steak; Chef Chris, fried plantains with red wine shredded beef served with garlic aioli, and churrasco (barbecue) empanadas; and me, herb and cheddar buttermilk biscuits and fried green tomatoes, served with goat cheese, red pepper jelly and fresh parsley. 

We gathered around the table and talked about each dish, savoring every bite. It was extra special because during the show and in all the times we’ve seen each other since, we’ve never had the opportunity or time to taste each other’s dishes and to express our love through food. To quote Jason, the table was “North meets South, meets Miami heat.” 

You see, Jason, Chris and I could not be more different. I am from rural Georgia, Chris, from busy Miami, and Jason, a New Yorker, but food is the universal language — together we represent America. If we could all sit around the table and share a meal together with people who have different backgrounds, I believe we could accomplish much more in this broken yet beautiful world. 

For the three of us, the Hamptons was an ironic and serendipitous place to gather. Many of the culinary titans of today have homes there, such as Bobby Flay, Alex Guarnaschelli and Michael Simon. 

The weekend was more than friends hanging out who love and support each other, but a confirmation of sorts and a revelation of how we met and where we’re going. We — the next generation of chefs and dreamers — are on the right path: the path to fulfilling our shared dream, the one that brought us together six years ago, and continues to motivate us each day to do more of what we love.

 Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser is a private chef, speaker, culinary TV personality, and author. Featured in Forbes, on ABC and Food Network, she is a Georgia Southern University alumna and an honors graduate of the Savannah Culinary Institute. Visit RebekahLingenfelser.com, like Some Kinda Good on Facebook or follow 

@SKGFoodBlog on Instagram and YouTube.