In '71 or '72 I returned to New Orleans and stayed there. I started cooking Louisiana food. Of all the things I had cooked, it was the best-and it was my heritage.

Creole is New Orleans city food. Communities were created by the people who wanted to stay and not go back to Spain or France.

My mother would put me on a wooden box at the stove and tell me to call her if certain things would happen. Like if the steam turns blue, that is danger!

If you have acid in food, you need to sugar it. At a high temperature, the acids are changed to sugar.

I believe in America. I'm one of those silly flag wavers.

When the taste changes with every bite and the last bite tastes as good as the first, that's Cajun.

Don't get fancy. Have you cooked an apple pie? You don't know what you did wrong? Do this: Take two or three apples. Put them on a table. Study them.