Long Island for me, it's producing more chefs coming out of there than Paris.

[Long Island] is buoyant, it's on the outskirts of Manhattan, and so they have access to phenomenal restaurants.

What's frustrating more than anything is when chefs start to cut corners and believe that they are incognito in the way they send out appetizers, entrees, and they know it's not 100 percent, but they think the customers can't spot it.

Being a chef is the best job in the world.

I want my kids to see me as Dad, for God's sake, not a television personality.

I think when we opened in 2001, it was holy ground. There was nothing here. Back then, being on the Dubai Creek was an amazing position, and I would come one or two times a year, max. Now it's so different. The travel dilemma has disappeared and it is so easy to get to Dubai. What is it, seven hours from London? It's pretty easy.

In any situation, location is crucial.