I don't think you could have a 7 with a manual. But I can't see having a BMW sports sedan without a manual.
Thomas KellerThis is the great challenge: to maintain passion for the everyday routine and the endlessly repeated act, to derive deep gratification from the mundane.
Thomas KellerFood is such an important part of our lives, and sometimes we tend to diminish the importance of that, because we rely on conveniences or because our lives are so complicated. We forget about those moments that we can actually share around the table with our family, with our friends, with our loved ones.
Thomas KellerYou don't know when inspiration is going to come. But you have to be aware of what's going on around you, so that at any moment, when inspiration happens, you're ready for it and you interpret it.
Thomas KellerWe go through our careers and things happen to us. Those experiences made me what I am.
Thomas KellerFor me, thats one of the important things about cooking. What was good enough yesterday may not be good enough today.
Thomas KellerCooking is not about convenience and it's not about shortcuts. Our hunger for the twenty-minute gourmet meal, for one-pot ease and prewashed, precut ingredients has severed our lifeline to the satisfactions of cooking. Take your time. Take a long time. Move slowly and deliberately and with great attention.
Thomas KellerIt wasn't about mechanics; it was about a feeling, wanting to give someone something, which in turn was really gratifying. That really resonated for me.
Thomas KellerI didnt want to be encumbered by what anyone elses abilities were, their equipment or environment or their ability to get certain products.
Thomas KellerI can make dough in a machine faster than I can make it by hand, but I want to make it by hand, because I want to remember the way it feels. It's so important for me to make it by hand - whether it's a pasta dough or a pรขte brisรฉe. You become involved in it. You become personal with it. For me it's such a wonderful way to get satisfaction and gratification when I'm cooking.
Thomas KellerI think that youโve got to make something that pleases you and hope that other people feel the same way.
Thomas KellerIn any restaurant of this caliber, the chefs are in the same position, building relationships.
Thomas KellerOnce you understand the foundations of cooking - whatever kind you like, whether it's French or Italian or Japanese - you really don't need a cookbook anymore.
Thomas KellerLet's face it: if you and I have the same capabilities, the same energy, the same staff, if the only thing that's different between you and me is the products we can get, and I can get a better product than you, I'm going to be a better chef.
Thomas KellerVegetables to me are - I don't want to say the most exciting part of cooking, but certainly a very exciting part of cooking, because they continue to change. They come into season and they go through different phases.
Thomas KellerA cookbook must have recipes, but it shouldn't be a blueprint. It should be more inspirational; it should be a guide.
Thomas KellerHopefully, imparting what's important to me, respect for the food and that information about the purveyors, people will realize that for a restaurant to be good, so many pieces have to come together.
Thomas KellerLarousse is an invaluable tool for any cook. I've used this great resource all throughout my cooking career, and of course I look forward to the new edition. New information and knowledge are always welcome.
Thomas KellerThe book is there for inspiration and as a foundation, the fundamentals on which to build.
Thomas KellerThey know what my standards are. They know what I need and how to get it to me, and they know how to communicate with me if for some reason they can't get it.
Thomas KellerWhen you acknowledge, as you must, that there is no such thing as perfect food, only the idea of it, then the real purpose of striving toward perfection becomes clear: to make people happy, that is what cooking is all about.
Thomas KellerIts not about passion. Passion is something that we tend to overemphasize, that we certainly place too much importance on. Passion ebbs and flows. To me, it's about desire. If you have constant, unwavering desire to be a cook, then u'll be a great cook.
Thomas KellerWith passion, if you see the first asparagus of the springtime and you become passionate about it, so much the better, but three weeks later, when youโve seen that asparagus every day now, passions have subsided. Whatโs going to make you treat the asparagus the same? Itโs the desire.
Thomas KellerI believe Fernand Point is one of the last true gourmands of the 20th century. His ruminations are extraordinary and thought-provoking. He has been an inspiration for legions of chefs.
Thomas KellerI think that's the important thing - being aware of that inspiration and being able to interpret it into something that's meaningful for you.
Thomas KellerAny job worth doing is worth doing well. But to be able to do that, you have to do it over and over again.
Thomas KellerEven the most astute chefs seek out the assistance of Celine Labaune, owner of Gourmet Attitude, because they know they can rely on her keen senses and deep understanding of the truffle trade.
Thomas KellerWhether it's destiny or fate or whatever, I don't think I could do a French Laundry anywhere else.
Thomas Keller