My favorite Aspen memory is saving an upside-down cake that had exploded from the high altitude.

My inspiration was my mom. She's a great cook, and she still cooks, and we still banter back and forth about cooking. Growing up in a mostly Portuguese community, food was important and the family table was extremely important. At a very young age I understood that.

Start with a clean grill. Keep it clean by brushing with a wire brush after preheating, and again after cooking. Make sure to oil your grates and your food before putting it on the grill to keep it from sticking.

We're probably close to reaching 2,000 shows, which is more than Julia Child and Jacques Pepin together.

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

Spice is life. It depends upon what you like... have fun with it. Yes, food is serious, but you should have fun with it.

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