HYDE PARK, N.Y. -- What would summer be without fresh, vine-ripened strawberries? Their unmistakable fragrance and sweet, juicy flesh help make it a magical season.

There's a lot of talk about how much salt Americans eat these days. And how much they shouldn't.

As seven leading chefs served elaborate dishes to 120 wine-quaffing food enthusiasts at Silverado Country Club last Friday night, the guests of honor munched on apples, slurped water from a bowl and napped on a bed of wood shavings and cardboard.

Chef Kimball Jones, the Carneros Inn

Betty Teller