Writing is work and cooking is relaxing.

I wanted to be a literary writer, so I wrote story after story and sent them to 'The New Yorker.'

I like cream cheese in just about anything.

I told the caterer I'd work for nothing if he'd teach me about catering. I lasted one week full-time. It was exhausting.

One thing that improved my cooking skills was being a poor student in California... If you don't have much money, you have to learn to cook.

I'm always astonished to see how badly people can behave when they think no one is noticing.

When I started to write culinary mysteries, I did it because nobody was doing it anymore.