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

I'm not a TV guy. I'm a restaurant chef and a businessman.

The premise of 'The Originals' are places that have been open 50, 60, 75, 100 years or longer that are still doing it right that maybe a lot of people, particularly the younger generations, have not even thought about.

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.

You can easily put together your own favorite spice blend, whether that's a salt and pepper mixture or you're adding herbs to it or Creole spice. Just watch out for the sodium content. That why I encourage you to make your own.

I like to keep things simple. It's really about the wine, food and the beach view. Nothing can beat that.

I think you've got to keep it simple, keep it fresh. Stay away from all that processed stuff, read the labels.