I lived my whole life in the kitchen. Not only that, but it's the passion, it's the love for cooking and food. It's dictated my entire life — every aspect of it. So, in some ways, the thought of not being able to do that anymore radically affects your life.

It's not really the life of cooking that's hard - it's what you make of it and what level you push yourself to.

My home kitchen is airy, with a gas stove, a stainless-steel island table in the center and granite countertops. It's very modest but there's tons of counter space, so you can slap down three or four cutting boards.

Most smoked salts are made with liquid smoke, which is a condensate, but really, really good smoked salt is literally smoked.

In a lot of ways, a lot of smells that aren't necessarily edible smell good, and they remind you of certain aspects of food. So making those associations with what smells good or smells a certain way and pairing that with actual edible ingredients is one avenue that we take creatively.

I had D minuses in chemistry and all of the sciences, and now I'm known as a molecular gastronomist.

I hate stuff in my pockets, can't stand it. I'll carry stuff in my hands rather than put it in my pockets.