We're in the full flush of summer, and there's no better time to set up an outdoor spread — whether you're heading to a park or dining in the backyard. Three food professionals give their perfect picnic preferences, from soup-mix dip to lemongrass-scented barbecued meat.

COMFORT FOOD

As the chef at Creme Cafe in Washington, D.C., a restaurant known for its Southern-soul food cuisine, Terrell Danley applies his years of culinary experience to elevate comfort food to a higher level.

Essential ingredients: "I'm a simple-flavor kind of guy," says Danley. He starts with the necessities — chips and dip. Kettle chips and onion dip, to be exact. And when it comes to onion dip, he goes for the classic. "Lipton's soup mix and sour cream. Leave it alone, it's perfect," he says.

He also packs foods that build on each other in combination: ripe Camembert, flat bread, salami, thinly sliced roasted turkey and hummus. These components allow people to build their own canapes. Danley also suggests fruits that can stand up to heat, such as grapes and chunks of pineapple.

Super sides: Roasted corn salad with cilantro, lime juice, garlic and cucumber. Marinated grape tomatoes mixed with an herb-garlic puree served on leaves of romaine lettuce. Salade Nicoise with grilled tuna. Cold baked beans allowed to warm to room temperature.

Dessert: "It has to be the banana pudding from the back of the Nilla Wafer box recipe. Don't screw around with it. Don't try to make a creme brulee, just follow the directions!"

ASIAN INFLUENCE

Along with her sisters, Lieu Lai manages Huong Que Four Sisters Restaurant in Falls Church, Va., a Vietnamese restaurant where her mother and a brother are chefs.

Essential ingredients: "Mom always marinated the meat the night before to make sure the lemongrass, star anise, garlic and all the spices were well-absorbed before grilling. The seafood was cooked as is because it would later be dipped into salt, black pepper and lime."

Super sides: "Corn is a family favorite when grilled and served with chopped spring onion cooked in oil as a spread."

Thirst quencher: Fresh limeade made at the park. "Just a whole lime, two tablespoons of sugar, water and ice," she says. Lai also likes coconut drinks.

Dessert: Watermelon, berries, cantaloupe and lychees.

SIMPLE PLEASURES

Coming to Washington, D.C., from Iowa, via Napa Valley, chef Eric Ziebold, of the Washington restaurant Cityzen, prefers to keep things simple. For a picnic, he recommends room-temperature food that can resist spoiling in extreme heat and humidity. (This means no mayo.) Oh, and no plastic. If you're going to that much trouble for the meal, he says, you should honor it with real silverware.

Essential ingredients: Fried chicken, artichoke salad and German potato salad. He combines bacon and vinegar with still-warm potatoes so they absorb the smoky flavor. He then adds onions and hard-boiled eggs.

Super sides: If it's a special outing, there's always room for foie gras, Ziebold says. He studs his with caramelized garlic and serves it on toasted brioche.