I'm more comfortable weaving Indian flavors into American classics.
I cook British food, but it doesn't mean I'm jingoistic about it. People can cook very good fusion food.
You have to respect the culture you are cooking in, yes, but you have to respect the palate you are cooking for, too, and you have to adjust to that palate.
Being an Ethiopian-born, Swedish-raised chef, there's nothing traditional about my Thanksgiving spread.
I want to expand my cuisine to this country. I love America. I have been here 22 years.
Culture and tradition have to change little by little. So 'new' means a little twist, a marriage of Japanese technique with French ingredients. My technique. Indian food, Korean food; I put Italian mozzarella cheese with sashimi. I don't think 'new new new.' I'm not a genius. A little twist.
It's so funny because my mom is Thai and my dad is this big American guy - and our food tastes were so similar growing up. He was meat and potatoes, I was meat and potatoes.
I love mixing Indian and Western.
Preparing foods from other Jewish communities is broadening. It's interesting to sample the foods of other Jewish communities and see what they developed.
