Betrayal is one of my biggest fears. Betrayal happens on many different levels all the time, and there is no worse feeling than realizing someone you thought you could trust has gone against you.

When I look back on my childhood, my fondest memories are those surrounding the dinner table.

If summer had one defining scent, it'd definitely be the smell of barbecue.

I think when dishes have a certain amount of acidity, really they are very alive. And I love things that are alive.

Even today with the public's growing interest in food and diet issues, politicians rarely include food as part of their political platforms.

Pimenton gets its intense flavor because it is dried over wood smoke. You can try hot, sweet or bittersweet, though sweet is probably the most commonly used.

For food to be romantic, it should be light. Too many times people plan a romantic meal, and the food is too heavy.

When I came to El Bulli, right away I knew I was becoming part of something incredible. It was like watching the Big Bang happening right in front of me.

I started culinary school at a very young age, and really I wanted to be out working, cooking, more than I wanted to be in a classroom. You could say I wasn't a very good student - I wanted to be a student of life and experience.

If you want to keep your side dishes warmer than room temperature, consider buying a small steam table for the home, with the Sterno cans underneath.

I love America!

I'm very happy with how Jaleo in Las Vegas came together.

The first time I saw America was from my perch on the mast of a Spanish naval ship, where I could spot the Statue of Liberty reaching proudly into the open, endless American sky.

People ask me in Europe, when they do interviews... they ask me, 'Well, how does it feel to be a cook in a country that doesn't know how to eat?' It always touches a nerve, because Europe and the world think that America is no more than bad hot dogs and bad burgers.

The federal government spends about $2.51 per child per day to feed them lunch. Out of that, you have to pay for labor, facilities, and administrative costs, leaving about a dollar for food. Imagine trying to feed yourself a nutritious meal every day with only a dollar. Very difficult.

Romesco with asparagus is simple and brilliant.

Chefs are at the end of a long chain of individuals who work hard to feed people. Farmers, beekeepers, bakers, scientists, fishermen, grocers, we are all part of that chain, all food people, all dedicated to feeding the world.

Cotton candy is the most amazing form of caramelization ever invented by man.

When you cook a sausage, the skin sometimes breaks and the ground meat comes apart.

I get very upset when people start adding weird things to romesco.

Food and the way we grow it and produce it are a major cause of environmental degradation.

As a chef and as a father, I am very upset by what's on the menu at most schools: chicken nuggets and tater tots and ketchup and pizza.

Soy sauce and seaweed go really well with potato chips.

Everyone should wake up and have a fresh-squeezed orange every day. By having a fresh glass of orange juice with American oranges, you are supporting the local economy, you have all the vitamin C you need in a day, and you support the environment because you don't use any plastic from bottles or bags.