I think of [street food] as the antidote to fast food; it's the clear alternative to the king, the clown and the colonel.

You can call me the bad boy chef all you want. I'm not going to freak out about it. I'm not that bad. I'm certainly not a boy, and it's been a while since I've been a chef.

I think there's a tendency to over-jack and over-umami food these days.

Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don't have.

I, personally, think there is a really danger of taking food too seriously. Food should be part of the bigger picture.

I'm really happy to see Filipino cuisine starting to really take hold outside of the Pinoy community.

I've been very careful about what I say yes to and what I say no to. And I think seriously always about... this may be a good idea right now or it may be a lot of money right now, but will it be good for me five years from now? Will it be fun? Will it make me hate myself? I think about all of those things.