Every Super Bowl, I do different food each quarter from each of the hometowns of the teams competing. So I’m always hoping for cities with a gastronomic soul—not so much Indianapolis or Denver, right? For halftime we have New York hot dogs from Papaya Dog. And at the end of the game I’ve chosen a dessert based on who I think is going to win.

Look at cookbooks with your kids and ask them what sounds good.

The passion of the Italian or the Italian-American population is endless for food and lore and everything about it.

Food, like most things, is best when left to its own simple beauty.

The American Dream is ownership … a house, a car, a vacation home and, even better, your own business

Passion is what adds so much value to life. And if you think about the things that you do, there's so much juice potential for them if you do it.

I just signed to do my next book with Ecco Press, a new primer or encyclopedia. This will be my take on what classic Italian cooking is.