I want to give people a basic education, and to help them think for themselves when it comes to food.

I tell everybody the same thing: You have to make every dish so when you taste it, you should remember it when you go home.

I would say that I mostly use Kosher Salt for seasoning my water and flour. I love sea salt, too. I think both are just fine, as long as it's not iodized salt.

I believe that London is the most exciting food city in Europe.

Prep things in advance so that you don't have to cook everything at the last moment.

I think the most important thing when you are in a competition and you have, let's say, ingredients you have to use make something you did already because none of the judges, you know, probably had it in our lifetime, so I think do something you feel confident with, not something completely new where you are not sure how many hours or how many minutes you have to cook it or if the seasoning is right or if the combinations of spices and herbs are right.

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