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 grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. My background was modest, and I worked at a Portuguese bakery in town.

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.

If you don't follow your dream, who will?

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.

We're setting up an urban farm for kids on more than 20 acres in New Orleans. We want to make this a world-class educational center for the community.

If you think big, then it's going to be big.