For years - especially in England where I come from - cooking was a subservient job. When I told my Dad I was going to be a cook, he wouldn't talk to me for two years. Even though it was associated with my military service, he thought cooking was beneath me.

Whenever I deal with children or the military, that becomes special to me.

I always worked in institutions, I never had a restaurant of my own before, but I have opened over 30 hotels, restaurants and casinos. I understand what it takes to keep them running.

I don't consider myself a rock star chef, I really don't. I cook for a living and I try to help out as many people as I can in my life and that's all I care about. I don't care about the fame of television, I use to a lot.

The sharing of food is like breaking bread, it's very symbolic.

What I learned about America is that anything is possible, but sometimes people get into businesses they shouldn't be in. They go in without capital or know how, but their mothers had told them that they could cook, and they're good with people.

I believe in national service, I believe that every young adult citizen should do two years of national service. Not necessarily to be deployed, but to understand teamwork, responsibility and mixing with different people.