It would be an egregious mistake to ever refer to me in the same breath as most of the people I write about.

I'd like to play bass like Bootsy Collins. I'm serious. That would be my dream.

The bible of cooking. The all-time argument ender. Early in my cooking career, I wielded my Larousse like a weapon and it never let me down.

In college, I think I probably positioned myself as an aspiring writer, meaning I dressed sort of extravagantly and adopted all the semi-Byronic affectations, as if I were writing, although I wasn't actually doing any writing.

The fact of the matter is that, for years, the restaurant and service industry has been, to a great extent, built on the backs of often underpaid immigrants of often dubious legal status.

I lurched away from the table after a few hours feeling like Elvis in Vegas - fat, drugged, and completely out of it.

I have the best job in the world.