I believe that 'MasterChef' brings something more to the table, so to speak, than simply being another reality food TV show. My hope is that it will inspire America to get more involved in the food they eat, how it prepared.

With four-appetizer, four-entree menus, it's like, give me a break. That's not a restaurant, that's a dinner party.

New York is the best food city in the world.

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

Classics can be phenomenal when done right. A simple roast chicken dish could be the best thing you ever eat.

Beans are a real go-to for me.

It's kind of like a midlife crisis kind of thing. When you turn 40, you have to run the marathon, while all the parts still work properly.