My parents couldnt be looser. It was the ultimate laissez faire upbringing.

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.

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.

It's a challenge to demonstrate that you can prepare some really interesting food with humble ingredients.

You have to be critical of what you do every day, to analyze it and be willing to push it further.

Always make stock in a large quantity and freeze it in plastic bags. That way, when you want to make a nice soup or boil veggies, you can simply pull the bag out of the freezer.

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