I cook British food, but it doesn't mean I'm jingoistic about it. People can cook very good fusion food.
Some of the best cooks that I've cooked with, whether it's in New York or Chicago or even here in Philadelphia, are actually Ecuadorians. And there's something about their palates that really just inspires me, and has a really deep sense of flavor.
I found most of my learning has taken place after culinary college, when I travelled and met chefs and non-chefs.
Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.
I truly think you can get a great meal in most cities around the world now. I credit the internet for making it possible for a kid in Iowa to see what a great chef in Paris is doing and emulate it.
Sichuan food would not be Sichuanese without the hot chilies that arrived before 1700 from South America.
I think sharing recipes is such an important part of baking and the baking world.
The Banh Mi sandwich is really the only good argument for colonialism.
I'll basically eat anything that a chef puts in front of me. One of the reasons is respect for the chef. I watch chefs eat at other chefs' restaurants, and they're very aware not to leave anything over because the chef is watching very closely. It's a very sincere interaction when two chefs are cooking for one another.
I wanted to see how flavors, spices, and grains traveled back and forth along the Silk Road and were interpreted by a multitude of cultures' palates.
