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.

I get up every day, do the best that I can do, and go home and have a good time.

My extravagance is my garden - it's the first thing I look at every morning when I wake up. It gives me so much pleasure.

I love Alton Brown's show 'Good Eats,' about the chemistry of food. It's really thoughtful.

Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them feel comfortable.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is the ultimate comfort meal.

When I wrote 'Barefoot in Paris,' I wanted to make simple recipes that you could make at home that tasted like French classics.