You gotta have good olive oil. You should have a cooking olive oil and you should have a finishing olive oil, like an extra-virgin olive oil.

My family... always had the value of the family table and these cultural influences of growing up.

One big reason I do what I do is there's no two days alike. It's not work for me. It's my life. My passion.

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.

I think many cooks are afraid of undercooked meats. A good thermometer is a cook's best friend.

I moved to Louisiana to become the executive Chef at Commander's Place. And I must say I had some encouragement from friends such as Ella Brennan, the queen of the New Orleans's culinary set, and others. This was very flattering to a young man with a dream. I was only 26 years old.

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