I found that the recipes in most - in all - the books I had were really not adequate. They didn't tell you enough... I won't do anything unless I'm told why I'm doing it. So I felt that we needed fuller explanations so that if you followed one of those recipes, it should turn out exactly right.

The more you know, the more you can create. There's no end to imagination in the kitchen.

There are reasons, and then there are excuses.

Sooner or later the public will forget you; the memory of you will fade. What's important are the individuals you've influenced along the way.

It is hard to imagine a civilization without onions.

...nothing is too much trouble if it turns out the way it should.

Cooking was taken with such seriousness in France that even ordinary chefs were proud of their profession. That's what appealed to me.