One cold wintry day in London, I was dreaming about salad nicoise—one of my favorites.

I had my first bowl of gazpacho when I was fifteen in Spain, and the impression it made was a lasting one.

I try as best I can to really put all I can into what I'm doing. A lot of days I fail and there's too much to do. I do think it's really important to have time to yourself, whether that's reading something interesting when the kids are in bed or even having a dog.

I first had a version of this at a Japanese monastery during a silent retreat-don't ask, it's a long story.

As you get older, you choose friends based on not only what feels resonant and warm but if they're bringing something to your life. My women friends are incredibly intelligent. There's no posturing, no competition. Especially in Los Angeles, I see pockets of friends who are very competitive, and I think, What is the point? I would rather be alone in bed with a book than have a girlfriend who is like that.

She's French, so she's teaching them French, and their previous nanny was Spanish, so they're fluent in Spanish.

I've had a very interesting career. I get to do amazing things and work with amazing people and travel and learn languages - things most people don't get the opportunity to do.