There is nothing nicer than a kitchen really made for a cook. Things that are designed to be used always have an innate beauty.

In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal.

Wine is a living liquid containing no preservatives. Its life cycle comprises youth, maturity, old age, and death. When not treated with reasonable respect it will sicken and die.

It's so beautifully arranged on the plate - you know someone's fingers have been all over it.

Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music.

Any disaster is a learning process.

Of course I made many boo-boos. At first this broke my heart, but then I came to understand that learning how to fix one's mistakes, or live with them, was an important part of becoming a cook.