I didnt want to be encumbered by what anyone elses abilities were, their equipment or environment or their ability to get certain products.

I think every young cook wants to write a book.

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.

A kaiseki meal is like that, very small courses over a long period of time.

I 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 pâte brisée. 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.

It 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.

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