Part V in a holiday series The season of repast is underway. “Load the table until it breaks” is an apt Russian idiom for the occasion. The La Jolla Village News decided to pop into a few village kitchens to see what the chefs have on the bubble. Chef Ryan Johnston at Whisknladle (1044 Wall St.) can describe a dish so aptly one may begin to salivate on this page. He savors the quality of local vegetables from niche farms, and prefers to highlight each vegetable with complementary ingredients rather than mask them in a dish. But don’t be fooled: simplicity doesn’t mean easy or mundane. Chef Johnston likes to eat sweet potatoes, for example, but he spices them up with fresh Habanera chilies and mixes in half-and-half and some Parmesan cheese. He grills persimmons like corn to serve with salami, arugula, Parmesan cheese and garlic vinaigrette. Johnston hates steamed broccoli and cauliflower so he caramelizes it: blanch, cool, cook in olive oil with any variety of flavors, such as capers, bacon, orange zest or black anchovies. For the holidays, he plans to set off his turkey with a chestnut stuffing that includes roasted Chanterelle mushrooms and parsnips. Johnston said he finds his inspiration by reading Spanish, French, Italian and Moroccan cookbooks. His advice for the season is as always: “Use the freshest ingredients possible. Go to your local farm because what you put into your body is very important.” Jean-Michel Diot, the head chef and owner of Tapenade at 7612 Fay Ave., is enjoying a variety of game this time of year. He is busily preparing white boar from Texas, axis venison from Texas and poultry from Scotland. Diot personally enjoys scrambling eggs with black truffles or a good lobster. His advice for the season: “Cook with love — you will succeed in your recipe.” Before December sneaks by, Tony Buonsante would like to come to your table at his restaurant, Sante Ristorante at 7811 Herschel Ave, and slice some white truffles onto your platter of gnocchi, pasta or fish. The smell of the white truffles will waft throughout the entire room, he says. The season for the fall-harvested white truffles is nearing an end and Buonsante has purchased about seven ounces of the white truffles from Alba in northern Italy for about $187 per ounce. Finding a restaurant that sells the white truffle is rare, but Buonsante has sold them for 23 years in La Jolla and understands how to prepare them. Born in Italy in the small town of Mola Di Bari, Buonsante arrived in New York at the age of 19 to work his way through kitchens until he finally opened an Italian restaurant, La Fenice, in New York, which he operated for 10 years. Jean-Pierre Ghanem finds himself eating sushi when he’s not handling the affairs of his restaurant, Burgundy Grill & Wine Bar at 830 Kline St. Ghanem’s eating habits are notable because he was raised in France and later lived in Lebanon, the homeland of his father, where he ran a Chinese and Lebanese restaurant. He is proficient in cooking both cuisines, and said experience has taught him how to cook more than any book training. Plus, the restaurant business runs in the family. “You need to know how to put ingredients together,” Ghanem said. “It’s like painting. If you know how to put colors together you will make a nice painting, and if you know how to put ingredients together, will have a nice [dish].” At Burgundy Grill & Wine Bar, Ghanem whips together a Burgundy sauce for the steak or a creamy lemon sage sauce for the white halibut. For New Year’s Eve, he is offering a hot and cold buffet with wine pairings for $30 per person. Diana Goedhuys of Girard Gourmet will enjoy a lavish spread for Christmas — after all, that is what she is catering to her guests at holiday cocktail parties and serving up at the bistro at 7837 Girard Ave. Girard Gourmet is open on Christmas Day from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., so the Goedhuys will pack up some of the fare to take home with the addition of a little champagne. “People who happen to be alone can come in for a little holiday cheer and a nice Christmas meal,” Goedhuys said. For anyone who wants to sample some of the Goedhuys’ repast, here are a few teasers: Appetizer possibilities include duck quesadilla; Pissaladière – a tart with caramelized onions, tomatoes and olives for appetizers; and braised short ribs in a red wine sauce.