In America, Blackberry Farm in Tennessee is one of the most amazing hotels I've had the privilege of staying at.

I eat for a living, so working out is definitely part of my job, the same way that the eating, tasting, and drinking is. I try to keep up a consistent workout routine, but I'm not the kind of person who goes to the gym every day and does the same routine.

I have a mantra in my head that there will always be another meal. I can put my fork down, knowing there will be good things in my future!

I would not say I'm an aggressive shopper. I want to be; I aspire to be an aggressive shopper. I am a meek, meek shopper.

I love The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, an Auberge Property in Bluffton, South Carolina. Its a spectacular corner of the world, with massive old trees lined with Spanish moss, and alligators swimming in the river.

Ultimately, I realized that in order to write about food you need to understand everything about cooking, so I moved to New York and enrolled in the Institute of Culinary Education.

Find combinations of flavors you love and buy the best quality ingredients you can afford. Your food is only going to be as good as the sum of its parts, like anything else.