Never be a food snob. Learn from everyone you meet - the fish guy at your market, the lady at the local diner, farmers, cheese makers. Ask questions, try everything and eat up!
My mom said the two most important kitchen utensils are attached to your arms... you cannot mix up meatballs with a wooden spoon, get in there, get your fingers dirty!
Good food and a warm kitchen are what makes a house a home.
If you're humble and hardworking, opportunities will arise for you.
I really believe there's no such thing as accidents, only opportunities. God gives everyone the ingredients to a good, happy life. It's up to us to make the most of them.
When you really want to show some love, keep the flowers and say it with spaghetti.
You know, food is such - it's a hug for people.
Be real. Make connections with people. Look them in the eye. Tell them how you feel. Don't be afraid to say what you mean. When you let go of the stuff you hold inside, you'll be amazed at what comes back to you.
Work hard. Laugh when you feel like crying. Keep an open mind, open eyes and an open spirit.
Decide what it is that you are and then stay true to that thing. My brand is based very much on how I live my day-to-day life.
You do it with your own two hands, so there's a sense of pride. You really do forget all our problems, because you're focusing on the food.
Food was always a conduit in our family for storytelling, and it was a way for us to keep in touch and remember things. We're people that use food to keep each other together and to always cheer us up and make all of our days better.
The most essential part of my day is a proper dinner.
You can laugh or you can cry. It is up to you which one you do.
I think having an animal in your life makes you a better human.
My mom worked in restaurants for 60 years, and what I learned from her is a lot. But if I had to boil it down, take your work very seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously. Work harder than everyone else and never complain about it. Don't go to bed if you're not proud of the product of your day; stay awake until you are.
What I've learned is that at the end of the day, we are all human. We all have that in common.
I tried to bake a cake for my mother's birthday - it took me four hours. It was terrible, and I cried for three days.
I've also learned that you can't be all things to all people. Whatever it is that you're successful at, that has to be the No. 1 goal.
Whatever it is you want to do, take a job in that field. You will learn by experience and, slow and steady, you'll get it done!
I'm not a chef. I haven't created any new technique in the kitchen. I'm not a rocket scientist. I think I'm good at writing accessible, fun, and affordable meals for the average American family. That's what I think I'm good at.
NASA asked me to create meals for the space shuttle. Thai chicken was the favorite. I flew in a fake space shuttle, but I have no desire to go into space after seeing the toilet.
Good food and a warm kitchen are what makes a house a home. I always tried to make my home like my mother's, because Mom was magnificent at stretching a buck when it came to decorating and food. Like a true Italian, she valued beautification in every area of her life, and I try to do the same.
It's continuously humbling to work hard, you know? As long as you've got a good work ethic and a sense of humor, I don't think anybody can become too much of an egoist under those circumstances.
I used to work in kitchens, doing 12 or more hours a day of physical labor, so today, eight to 12 hours of cooking, chatting or filming feels like a vacation. When I have a scheduled 'day off,' I spend several hours writing, then I clean until I crash from fatigue. I don't relax well.
