Cooking today is far greater than it ever was, and more importantly, a chef's role today has changed dramatically over the last decade.

I grew up in a funny way.

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.

If you want to become a great chef, you have to work with great chefs. And that's exactly what I did.

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

Being a chef never seems like a job, it becomes a true passion.

The pressure on young chefs today is far greater than ever before in terms of social skills, marketing skills, cooking skills, personality and, more importantly, delivering on the plate. So you need to be strong. Physically fit. So my chefs get weighed every time they come into the kitchen.