I'm a baritone. Baritones don't mature until late.

There are many things I'm looking forward to in 2013, both personally and professionally. Plans for new restaurants in the U.S., including Eataly Chicago, are underway, and I'm gearing up for the 2013 Ironman world championships in Hawaii - if I'm lucky enough to get a spot!

He brought a sensibility and a hard-edged reasonableness to operating restaurants that had a lasting impact on me and still affects how I run all our restaurants today. The passing of 'Restaurant Man' - the original gangsta 'Restaurant Man,' my father - was the passing of an era. No one can replace him.

I was brought up to believe I could achieve anything. My mother instilled in me the belief that there was always something great coming. For example, even though I'm afraid of flying, I always think the plane can't crash because there are so many better things still to come.

My wife and I battle over home decor. My style goes from Gothic to Baroque. Hers is minimalist.

I come from a family that loves to eat, not exercise. Being fat made even walking hard.

At home, I make a large batch of tomato sauce and freeze it in meal-size portions in freezer bags.