As soon as we walked into the Second Annual Taste of Greenmarket benefit last night, one thing was immediately clear: It’s no accident that New York’s most lauded chefs are also those most dedicated to the farmers’ market. The solid lineup of toques included Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern, Dan Barber of Blue Hill, Jean Francois Bruel of Daniel, David Waltuck representing his now-shuttered Chanterelle, Greenmarket icon Peter Hoffman (Savoy, Back Forty), the Modern’s Gabriel Kreuther and April Bloomfield (the Spotted Pig, the Breslin); mix masters Jim Meehan (PDT) and Julie Reiner (Clover Club) held down the seasonal-drinking front.

Equally affirming was just how many of their dishes were delicious. Unlike many tasting events where you have to hunt to find the gems, the majority of small bites here were excellent. A few of our favorites: Kreuther’s butternut squash panna cotta, Bruel’s rabbit ballotine, and Aaron Sanchez’s (Paladar) duck, barley, cactus and butternut squash salad.

Just for kicks, we asked a few of the chefs to name some of their favorite autumn ingredients, and where to buy them: Bloomfield lit up as she mentioned kabocha pumpkins—roasted, in salads, as soup—and said she buys them from whichever vendor has them, adding that she has pumpkin pancakes on the Breslin breakfast menu right now; Hoffman quickly thought of Seckel pears, which he sometimes buys from Locust Grove, and kuri squash from Evolutionary Organics; Waltuck loves heartier foods like butternut squash, and while he didn’t have a preferred vendor, he explained that their quality is best detected only after cutting into one (look for a rich orange color); and Reiner went for apples, especially when combined with spice—you’ll often find Red Jacket Orchard’s products in her drinks, and she tends to prefer the Granny Smith variety since its tartness works well in cocktails.

For more advice, check out our own seasonal guide to what to buy at the market.