Its 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.

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.

Respect for food is respect for life, for who we are and what we do.

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

You're getting to know who the great chefs are through their books.

I wanted to write about what we were doing at the French Laundry, the recipes and the stories.

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.