If somebody has a chance to put my food in their mouth, that tells the story.

In the restaurant it's much more serious.

Mom ran the house, so we grew up Portuguese.

My family... always had the value of the family table and these cultural influences of growing up.

My favorite Aspen memory is saving an upside-down cake that had exploded from the high altitude.

Radishes grow just about anywhere. People think, 'Oh it's just a radish.' But radishes are delicious, and people don't think of cooking them.

Scatter soaked hardwood chunks over your coals for a quick and easy way to add a smoky nuance to your grilled foods.

Soups are a great way to introduce a lot of vegetables to kids. Stir-fries, too, because they contain so many different shapes and colors.

We're a new show. We can't afford instant replay.

We're probably close to reaching 2,000 shows, which is more than Julia Child and Jacques Pepin together.

When it ceases to be fun, I'll stop and just stay in my restaurants.

Whether it's books or TV, or whatever the case may be, the backbone of what I do is my restaurants.

You are going to be what you put in your body, so I try to teach that to my kids, and the kids around me.

You gotta have good olive oil. You should have a cooking olive oil and you should have a finishing olive oil, like an extra-virgin olive oil.

I can't tell you enough about cinnamon. Cinnamon is an awesome spice to use and it goes great with something like apples in the morning or in a mixture of fruit or in your oatmeal or even in your cereal.

I've always been known for bold flavors and rustic cooking, but there is another side to me. As you evolve as a cook, you understand life and how serious it is. There comes a point where there's got to be a better balance.

Start with a clean grill. Keep it clean by brushing with a wire brush after preheating, and again after cooking. Make sure to oil your grates and your food before putting it on the grill to keep it from sticking.

Being a food show and being me, I always kicked it up a notch, which means I would always elevate the spice level or the complexity of a particular dish. So, it was always like we're going to kick this up a little bit.

Home base is the support system where we have a culinary team, my own writers because of the shows and the books and stuff, we have a culinary team of about six people. Marketing, public relations, accounting and all that sort of stuff.

I guess I feel that I was following my instincts, and at the same time being guided by the best. I became totally intrigued with Louisiana - the people, the food. It is a part of my life. Everything that has happened for me since moving here has just been icing on the cake.