One must know combinations, one must have a true knowledge of food to be in the moment.

I never considered Miles Davis a perfectionist; I always considered him as an excellence-ist, where deviation is actually kind of cool.

A jazz musician can improvise based on his knowledge of music. He understands how things go together. For a chef, once you have that basis, that's when cuisine is truly exciting.

What I was reading was already part of my psyche, but finally someone else was saying it's okay to walk alone.

I couldnt really relate to the fraternity or party scene, to the people out in the mall every day protesting one thing or another. I felt like there was no one I could relate to.

The art of cooking is among the most intimate things that we can do for another.

I love faltering. I love, in a sense, coming up short. Because you learn nothing from success. You learn so much from failing.