Every season we try to do something new. And not for gimmicks. We feel the show has to evolve and keep changing.

I know how to make sausage, and now that I've seen how laws are made, I'll stick with sausage.

I know nothing about hip-hop... There's only so many times you can grab your crotch and prance around stage. I'm gonna get slammed now for this.

A couple of months ago, I was down in Florida for the Food and Wine Festival. And this journalist grabbed me and said, 'How does it feel to be a TV guy? You're no longer in the restaurant business.' And I laughed. I asked him, 'How long do you think it takes me to do a season?' He said, 'Well, 200 days.' And I was like, '200 days? Try 20!'

I'd like to see 'Top Chef: Amateur'. Sometimes we have an amateur chef on the show and they just can't cut it against the pros but there are some great stories there.

Too often, chefs just want to experiment - they want to use liquid nitrogen before they know how to use heat.

You have to know the classics if you want to cook modern food.