Well, I kind of think that the opposite is true. The customer is rarely right. And that is why you must seize the control of the circumstance and dominate every last detail: to guarantee that they're going to have a far better time than they ever would have had if they tried to control it themselves.

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

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

My fantasy is to have a restaurant where there are no written menus, but where you just ask people, What are you in the mood for? Fish? Meat? White wine?

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

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.

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