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.

Talking up a storm about food is so easy for me, it's second nature.

Be curious, learn and read as much as you can about food. Don't worry about making money. Focus on learning at various venues before you settle down for a steady position.

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

There are many great wine producers from all over the world making fantastic wines. Italian wines especially are making an enormous comeback after sometimes being labeled as inexpensive jug wines.

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.