I am well aware that a chef is only as good as his last meal.

I train my chefs with a blindfold. I'll get my sous chef and myself to cook a dish. The young chef would have to sit down and eat it with a blindfold. If they can't identify the flavor, they shouldn't be cooking the dish.

I cook for a living; I'm not a scheduler.

You don't come into cooking to get rich.

I'm not trying to take New York by storm. I just want to sneak in there, keep my head down, batten down the hatches and cook.

There's a side to reality TV that is part education, as well. I've seen that since doing "MasterChef Junior," in terms of the effect it has on the confidence given these young kids from 8 to 13, a quality life skill. Even if they never pursue cooking as a job or a career, just learning how to cook for yourself sets you up in a good place.

In any situation, location is crucial.