Our Favorite Comfort Foods

July 21, 2022 | By Liz SanFilippo Hall

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What’s your idea of a comfort food? Is it something that reminds you of your childhood? Or that makes you feel better after a rough day? For many, the idea of comfort food is… well, comforting. And in many cases it’s something nice and warm, which makes it a perfect treat for a chilly Winter day. Here at The International Kitchen, everyone shared some of their favorite comfort food dishes and why they rank among our favorites.

Try one of our cooking vacations for the ultimate in comfort foods!

Favorite Comfort Foods

Grilled Cheese Sandwich
For Richard Davis, president, his definition of comfort? A grilled cheese sandwich. He prefers either the deluxe, French version known as a Croque Monsieur, or a simple American grilled cheese with avocado and sliced tomato. But one of the reasons he loves it is that “it can be customized to every weird taste!”

Hamburger and Fries
For founder of The International Kitchen, Karen Herbst, hamburger and fries are her go-to when she’s looking for a comfort food. “There’s no connection to my childhood. It’s just the ‘go to’ when I need comfort!”

Read about pairing hamburgers with wine.

Mac and Cheese
As Adrian Hall, travel coordinator, says, mac and cheese is self explanatory. But chicken soup is his other go-to comfort… as long as its not from a can. “It has to be real, delicious homemade chicken soup.”

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Peg, vice president, may not be Italian, but her favorite comfort food is, hands down, the classic Italian-American dish. For one, she does connect it with her childhood, as her mom made it every year for her on her birthday. As a sidenote, Peg notes, “Incidentally, it is true that spaghetti and meatballs does not exist as a dish in Italy – they have spaghetti, and they have meatballs, but not put together in a single dish!” A runner up for Peg? Melanzane alla parmigiana (eggplant parmesan).

Another favorite: Brownie Sundaes!

Learn more about meatballs in Italy.

Chili
For me, nothing warms me up or comforts me more than a big bowl of hearty chili. My dad used to make his famous chili every Halloween when I was a kid, so I think I associate it with coming in from out of the chilly Fall air and literally warming up with it!