My passion for writing cookbooks really came from my love of collecting cookbooks.

I won't quit my day job. I like restaurants. I don't do a lot of television, either, even though people come to me with projects all the time. I have to spend time in the kitchen.

I left school when I was 14 to work in kitchens.

I like to be firm. But it is easier to be nice than to be nasty.

There is no value with just one restaurant or with one person. The brand has to be bigger than the person.

When you meet someone, ask about what hobby they have, not what they do. People always ask me about cooking, but I prefer to talk about tennis or boxing.

Television in the '80s was very limited. There was no Food Network.