I really felt that I had accomplished my goals in life. My first passion has always been to be a restaurateur, a good husband and father, and to provide for my family.

I'm a "what you see is what you get" kind of guy. I don't have any time to be showing anybody any bag of tricks.

You've got balls inviting me here.

Kids want to saute, to cut the pizza, to see how the ingredients come together. If you let them do the fun stuff, they'll develop skills and interests that will stay with them forever.

If you're cooking and not making mistakes, you're not playing outside your safety zone. I don't expect it all to be good. I have fat dogs because I scrap that stuff out the back door.

Cooking is like snow skiing: If you don't fall at least 10 times, then you're not skiing hard enough.

The thing I have to be willing to do is work - I think I'm the one that is going to actually copyright the term "25/8." You ever hear of the term "25/8?" It's the cousin of "24/7." I have to go "25/8."