Paul Kahan Of Publican Quality Meats | West Loop, Chicago

Paul Kahan spends his days surrounded by the most delicious things on Earth.

We're referring, of course, to the Wall of Edible Wonder at Publican Quality Meats, packed with bourbon-barrel-aged fish sauce, proprietary local honey, Thai-style drinking vinegars and other culinary marvels curated and coveted by him and his cooks.

A few of PQM's pantry gems

With host and holiday gifts in mind, we asked the chef–whose newest restaurant, Nico, opens on December 2–to pick four favorites that he can't live without.

Cicerchie (Umbrian wild chickpeas; $16) "Texturally and flavor-wise, I think they're the best beans I've ever had. They're amazing. They're super nutty and totally worth the price. We do them for brunch with Nduja broth, head-on shrimp and a slow-cooked egg."

Cancale orange- and fennel-spiced salt from La Boîte á Epice ($14) "Lior Lev Sercarz [of La Boîte á Epice] gets the best raw ingredients I've ever tasted. I love his blends, and Cancale is my absolute favorite. He only lists three ingredients for each spice blend, and if you ask him to tell you more, he always says the same thing: 'Do you want my American Express card, too?'"

Koeze peanut butter ($6) "This is the greatest peanut butter in the world. It's from Grand Rapids, Michigan. You know when you eat really good Virginia peanuts, and they're pure and clean and salty? That's what this is. It's amazing. Don't refrigerate it."

Jacobson Salt Co. Oregon sea salt ($9) "This is everything that great French salt should be, but made in the United States."