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 office in New York is overflowing with all kinds of cookbooks, and in New Orleans we have a huge culinary library. So yeah, I guess I'm a little bit obsessed.

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.

Food is very representative of a city's culture. In order to really get to know a place and the people, you've got to eat the food.

You know, for 300 years it's been kind of the same. There are restaurants in New Orleans that the menu hasn't changed in 125 years, so how is one going to change or evolve the food?

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

I can't tell you enough about cinnamon. Cinnamon is an awesome spice to use and it goes great with something like apples in the morning or in a mixture of fruit or in your oatmeal or even in your cereal.