I was pleasantly surprised after the book came out. It was like, hey, the home team put down a nice score.

I was on the show previously as a guest host, so I had a little practice.

There really is a camaraderie among chefs and a willingness to help out whenever we can.

We are offering to the American public a line of delicious Italian-American foods. They will be available through the Internet, shopping networks and national store distribution.

The 1,000 tasting portions were to be served over a period of six hours, starting at noon, so we would have to prep those another way, to keep them as fresh as possible.

I can now focus on a huge audience through TV, books, cookware and foods.

Just over 800 people were gathered around the cooking stage, all eager to learn about my five-minute flavor cooking. The demonstration had to be done right then and there, in front of everyone.