Italy itself has 21 different micro-regions. You go within each of those regions, there's even super-micro-regions; and the beauty is that when you go from place to place, although there's a common thread of pasta and joie de vivre - in the way that they approach their meals and the simplicity of cooking, celebrating more the product than the chef - there's still so much variety that as you go, it's always an exciting moment.

I like anchovies, and I don't tell everybody about them. Almost every time, they don't even notice.

I am happiest when I am with my wife, Susi, and our two boys exploring and loving something for the first time.

Protein has been intensely over-represented on the plate. Now, the garden should be the main drag for main courses.

My wife Susi and my kids quite simply are the most fun of all my friends.

There's a battle between what the cook thinks is high art and what the customer just wants to eat.

The Gulf Coast has the potential to create a culinary raw ingredient paradise that smart cooks can capitalize on.