The dirty little secret is that I grew up in a household where there were no carbohydrates allowed, ever. No cookies, no bread, no potatoes, no rice. My mother was very extreme in terms of what she served. Since I left home more than 40 years ago, I've been making it right for myself.

Anyone who tries to make brownies without butter should be arrested.

My favorite fall or winter lunch is big steaming bowls of soup. I usually invite people for around 12:30 and have two hearty soups like shrimp corn chowder and lentil sausage soup, which can be made a day or two ahead.

All my life I dreamed of an apartment in Paris where I could cook, and now I have one, on the Left Bank.

The thing about all my food is that everything is a remembered flavor. Maybe it's something I had as a child or maybe it's something I had in Milan, but I want it to taste better than you ever thought.

I like almonds as a snack - keeps your energy up but doesn't fill you up.

Fun is the most important. If you do stuff for money, it never works out.