One of the things that helped me a lot as I was starting out in my career was that I got myself to France and Europe and California, and spent time immersing myself in those culinary traditions. I'd encourage future chefs to dive into whatever culture most excites them, and that they want to cook.
I do love listening to singles casually, but that moment, the thing I'm mining the singles for, is something that makes me dig deeper and find a layered offering that allows for discovery after discovery.