Books make great gifts because they expand your horizons and keep you cooking.

Being a food show and being me, I always kicked it up a notch, which means I would always elevate the spice level or the complexity of a particular dish. So, it was always like we're going to kick this up a little bit.

In the restaurant it's much more serious.

Many of my staff have been with me for over 20 years. I have a great team, and I make sure they feel respected and appreciated.

Mom ran the house, so we grew up Portuguese.

I ended up turning down a full scholarship of music at the conservatory to pay to go to cooking school.

I respected it. I submerged myself into it. So on a lot of days off I would go and fish with the fishermen and the families that ran the boats. I would go work the fields with farmers. I would go and talk with farmers about growing particular products for me.