I'm excited by any food that's prepared by someone who's proud of what they're doing, who puts a personal imprint on food.

I’m always secretly the most pleased when a show just really, really looks good and when my camera guys are really happy with the images they got.

Do we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria's mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.

Good food and good eating are about risk.

I didn't want food that looked unapproachable or ridiculously beautiful.

Anyone who doesn't have a great time in San Francisco is pretty much dead to me.

I did go into the Amazonian region of Brazil. They have prehistoric river fish that weigh in at around 600 pounds, which you don’t see anywhere else. And foods that cannot be exported or even found in other parts of Brazil.