But this week, a handful of them were more than happy to share ideas for Thanksgiving side dishes.
They range from Cajun cornbread stuffing and stuffed roasted vegetables to sweet potato gratin and a Swiss dish called chnoepfli – some easy, some family traditions and others just new twists on classic companions to turkey.
Just before lunch Wednesday, chef Chris Nestor presided over the kitchen at his newest restaurant, House Kitchen & Bar, 555 Capitol Mall. Working from memory, he jotted down the recipe for Cajun cornbread stuffing, a dish he created two years ago at his other restaurant, INK.
"We had jambalaya on the menu at INK. We churned it in with cornbread stuffing," he said. "We fused the two of them together. It's a Cajun cornbread stuffing with red and green bell peppers, sausage and onions. It's excellent."
Nestor said he was looking forward to staying out of the kitchen Thursday.
"I'm fortunate to have someone else cook this year, so I don't have to do anything," he said. "I've been in this business 26 years. I've literally cooked one Thanksgiving dinner at my house and it was two people last year."
For Thanksgiving, Sacramento cookbook author Biba Caggiano likes to prepare traditional dishes she doesn't do very often because they take so much time. But Caggiano, who owns Biba Restaurant at 2801 Capitol Ave., also likes to make easier fare.
Read More:Chefs dish up recipes
