Yotam Ottolenghi Quotes

I always knew that food and wine were vital, with my mother being Italian and a good cook.

I grew up watching my mom cook.

Cooking has always been work.

When I was a player it was not normal that I would cook at home but now that I have more time, I do sometimes. I like it, I like to cook and maybe sometime I would like to have some lessons.

I like how food can look incredible more than I like eating it. I started moving food around the plate to make it appear I'd eaten more but then enjoyed making faces on the plate - peas for eyebrows, Yorkshire puddings for eyes.

People often ask me when I realised that I was different. Some people seem surprised that it's a question that I cannot answer. I was never told that I was different. I was always just Sinead; I was just like my dad.

Plating your salad with groupings of ingredients may seem fussy but in fact it's the opposite. All the prepped ingredients go directly onto the platter, so no need to dirty a separate mixing bowl for tossing. Another reason we like this plating strategy? It allows the picky eaters out there to choose only the parts they like best.

As chefs, especially pastry chefs, your creativity plays such an important part in your daily work. We truly do have a blank canvas to work with every time we create a new dish.

Not many know this, but in training sessions, I like to play in the center-back position sometimes. I think I'm good at that position, and my father used to be a central defender. Some people don't realize that if you play in that position, you can better understand how the defender thinks.

I try to cook as much as possible, but I love to eat out.

I love cooking. There is nothing I like better than going home and cooking my family a nice meal. Anything with pasta! Pasta with butter! I have a good repertoire, and I can do quite a few different dishes. Sometimes they work out and sometimes not.

I love to cook. I love to entertain.

From the time I start prep to serving the food at the table, I like for the whole thing to be beautiful.

When anybody is just starting the process of cooking, I always say it takes practice, and nobody got to be a great cook on their first try.

I'm so thankful that Mum taught me to cook, because not every day is a takeaway day.

Cooking is like doing yoga. There is a lot of satisfaction in cooking food for others.

Cooking is not effortless. To get a recipe that feels effortless is really hard.

I learned that things taste better on pretty plates.

When making tartare, keep everything chilled as you go, including the mixing bowl and plates. Presentation matters, too: The meat should be fridge-cold when served and cut as precisely and neatly as possible.

My relationship to comics isn't nearly as strong as some people's. Ha! I mean, I grew up with a comic book fanatic. My older brother was, and still is, obsessed. And I was obsessed with the fact that he was obsessed, because I was obsessed with him. But not necessarily with comics themselves.

Both my parents are wonderful cooks - my father looks like he has been in the kitchen his whole life.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion about my father. Some people think he's a distraction and takes some of my shine away, but, for me, that's not the case.

You can tell the history of people on a plate.

I always wanted to be a chef. Flavors and food were always of interest to me, but it was how those things brought friends and family together to celebrate not only the special occasions but everyday life. It has been a blessing that I have been able to pursue a career that creates a product that brings people together.

I think some people who have never met me have a misconception that when I was living with my father when he was successful, that I was somehow adversely affected by his success or the money he had and was making at the time.