Vacationing Chefs

Miss Irene and her husband head for a trip across country with suitcases filled with kitchen gear and foodstuffs. Which begs the question: How freakin' provincial is Long Island? Must be the land of no grocery stores and bare host kitchens. Cue the eye rolling. An interview with top toques across the country reveals most take nothing at all and buy local. Mario Batali picks up respone salami, Greek feta, balsamic vinegar, Pedro Jimenez vinegar, eight to 10 kinds of cheeses---in a shop near his Lake Michigan house, and then there's Bourdain ("I don't take anything with me but a good attitude."), the Keller ("I take a bathing suit, suntan lotion, a stack of magazines and a few good books.") and, our favorite, Sang Yoon ("What kind of question is this? Why would I take kitchen equipment with me on vacation?"). [LAT]