I wanted to learn everything I could about what it takes to be a great chef. It was a turning point for me.

Once 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.

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.

With 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 you’ve seen that asparagus every day now, passions have subsided. What’s going to make you treat the asparagus the same? It’s the desire.

I have no formal culinary training, right.

Any job worth doing is worth doing well. But to be able to do that, you have to do it over and over again.

Whether it's destiny or fate or whatever, I don't think I could do a French Laundry anywhere else.