I used to write cookbooks. It was passion to try to bring healthy and fun recipes to people's homes. It was a way to bring my home to theirs.

The most important thing for me is to really buy the best ingredient.

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

New Yorkers think they have everything, all the best art and music. But really L.A. is a better place.

I fell in love with food because of my mother. So, I will definitely be sharing and expanding more recipes from my culture (as well as many other cultures), and will be sharing recipes that I have experienced from my whole culinary life.

A lot of chefs are traditional and do it very well. But the ones who are the most successful are the ones who change things. That is why someone like Heston Blumenthal is a genius.

Stay away from iodized table salt. It's just bad and doesn't help food taste good.