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.

I think you have to be careful with spices. Kids’ palates can be very delicate, and they might not like things overspiced. In my cookbooks for kids, I do a milder version of my signature...

I started cooking when I was about 10. I have memories like when I was 6 or 7 with my mom, and when I was 12 I started getting real serious about cooking.

If you think big, then it’s going to be big.

I try to teach my son about sanitation, especially when handling foods like chicken that could be dangerous. I remind him to wash his hands all the time. When my son cooks with me, he...

I spent a lot of time on farms when I was young. My uncle and my dad owned a big farm.

Kids are now eating things like edamame and sushi. I didn’t know what shiitake mushrooms were when I was 10 – most kids today do.

My food is Louisiana, New Orleans-based, well-seasoned, rustic. I think it’s pretty unique because of my background being influenced by my mom, Portuguese and French Canadian. There’s a lot going on there.

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...

I’m not a TV guy. I’m a restaurant chef and a businessman.

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...

Life just doesn’t hand you things. You have to get out there and make things happen. that’s the exciting part.

I have a lot of influences. I’m American-schooled. I’m classically trained. I’m a pretty universal student, if you will. I have a lot of degrees, which really don’t pay the rent. I have two doctorate...

I ended up turning down a full scholarship of music at the conservatory to pay to go to cooking school.

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...

Music is one of those things that is constantly going in my head all the time. It’s sort of like the evolution and creation of doing food, or my philosophy about wine. It’s always beating...

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

I love fresh citrus and always keep lemons, limes, and oranges on hand; they come in handy for spritzing up quickly grilled meats, seafoods, and vegetables, especially when followed up by a quick drizzle of...

I grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. My background was modest, and I worked at a Portuguese bakery in town.

I’ve always done food that can work in a set time frame. The message I’m trying to get across is, it doesn’t have to take three days to do this. With planning, you can do...

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

I’m pretty actively involved with the military because I think they’re incredible human beings. If I can give back to them for what they’re doing for us, it’s a good thing. And I think to...

You know, for 300 years it’s been kind of the same. There are restaurants in New Orleans that the menu hasn’t changed in 125 years, so how is one going to change or evolve the...

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