For me no good food is illuminated without acidity.

The better the ingredients, the more farmers I can buy from, the closer I feel to the food I want to make that represents what I care about as a chef.

I used to sleep with the phone right by my pillow but I'm getting better. Now it sits on the table a few feet away.

I find myself hoping I can get on a TV show, and then people from Oklahoma will come to my restaurant. Then I'll be able to make enough money to open my own place.

My father always said, 'If you love what you do, you won't mind slogging through it for several hours a day.

It's amazing the relationships you forge in a kitchen. When you cooperate in an environment that's hot. Where there's a lot of knives. You're trusting your well-being with someone you've never before met or known.

Give yourself enough time to really learn how to cook.