Some of the recipes in the book have evolved for us. Many haven't.

You 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.

I have no formal culinary training, right.

I 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.

When 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.

I think that's the important thing - being aware of that inspiration and being able to interpret it into something that's meaningful for you.

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