Part of my job as a food writer is to describe food. So my work on 'Top Chef,' I feel, is an extension of that. When we give a criticism to the contestant, we want to make sure we tell them why it's not working and why it would work if they did it a different way.

I know most people use their phones to tell time, but there's something very romantic and beautiful about a timepiece.

I'm a sucker for fried chicken - I really love it.

I've always thought the back is one of the most beautiful parts of a woman.

Jewelry should not upstage you. I pick one hot point on my body that I'm going to highlight. Let one area do the singing - you don't want to hear three songs at once.

I'm not tough. I'm tenacious.

Most of cooking is the labor of chopping. Give yourself a break. Pretend you're on a cooking show and have all your ingredients lined up for you.