And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!

The book is there for inspiration and as a foundation, the fundamentals on which to build.

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.

Let's face it: if you and I have the same capabilities, the same energy, the same staff, if the only thing that's different between you and me is the products we can get, and I can get a better product than you, I'm going to be a better chef.

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.

The law of diminishing returns is something I really believe in.

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