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 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.

Patience was not something that came naturally to me, but in cooking it is the quintessential skill.

First and foremost, you have to remember that restaurants are businesses and they have to stay in business. And though everyone thinks they want grass fed beef, most people actually prefer the taste of corn fed - it is less dry, more marbled, and less gamey, not to mention much less expensive than grass fed.

You can't fake being able to cook well.

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 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.