A man obsessed: obsessed with perfection, sharing, aesthetics, taste, savoir-faire, and much more.

The proportion of ingredients is important, but the final result is also a matter of how you put them together. Equilibrium is key.

Classical cooking and molecular gastronomy should remain separate...you can mix two styles and get fusion; any more and you just get confusion.

Desserts are like mistresses. They are bad for you. So if you are having one, you might as well have two.

The image foreigners have of French cuisine is fattening and very fancy food. But it's not true - French food isn't just rich. The word "healthy" doesn't exist in French. We have many, many words, but not that one. To me, healthy means paying close attention to feeding people.

Tasting a dish should be memorable If nothing remains in the memory of a single guest, then I have made a mistake.

Failure is enriching. It's also important to accept that you'll make mistakes - it's how you build your expertise. The trick is to learn a positive lesson from all of life's negative moments.