I started in the restaurant business at the age of 19 as a waitress. I loved the atmosphere and the camaraderie of the restaurant business. I loved not having to go to an office. I loved making people happy.

I believe that if you have good organizational skills, then creativity can come out of that, but it's hard to be really creative when everything is a mess. And in a restaurant, organizational skills are imperative.

I love the simplicity, the ingredients, the culture, the history and the seasonality of Italian cuisine. In Italy people do not travel. They cook the way grandma did, using fresh ingredients and what is available in season.

There are many places that people can produce really good food. I wouldn't limit it to an area of the country, it's what the chefs have in them.

Organizing ahead of time makes the work more enjoyable. Chefs cut up the onions and have the ingredients lined up ahead of time and have them ready to go. When everything is organized you can clean as you go and it makes everything so much easier and fun.

There are so many things that you think will look cool but then you look like an idiot!

Taste as you go. When you taste the food throughout the cooking process you can make adjustments as you go.