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.

A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.

For me, thats one of the important things about cooking. What was good enough yesterday may not be good enough today.

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

I have no formal culinary training, right.

Vegetables 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.

I wonder if I love the communal act of eating so much because throughout my childhood, with four older brothers and a mom who worked in the restaurant business, I spent a lot of time fending for myself, eating alone - and recognizing how eating together made all the difference.