You have to have your face in the food. These days people think a tattoo and a bottle of Sriracha equals success.

My contribution I hope is to get people to eat full-flavored food. If I could come away with that alone, that would be a fantastic accomplishment. I'm also very proud of being a very American chef.

I love the culture of grilling. It creates an atmosphere that is festive but casual.

It's important to have balance in your life between work and play.

Grilling outside with my parents at the Jersey shore. We would grill lobster and corn in the summer.

I guess I fell into cooking.

One thing you don't want to do as a host is be running around all evening. Do as much as you can ahead of time, so all you have to do is grill the main ingredients.