People come up to me all the time and ask how I stay the way I am, and it's no secret. The first lesson a chef needs to learn is how to handle a knife; the second is how to be around all that food.

I'm an avid runner and play soccer every weekend, but I also have to constantly watch what I eat, and I'm always thinking about how to balance my meals.

I met Charlie Trotter before I actually saw him in person; I was 24 when I first opened the pages of Charlie's cookbook 'Charlie Trotter's' and was greeted by a man I would know and admire for the next 20 years.

Many popsicles you'll find in a supermarket have a lot of unwanted sugar or preservatives, but with a few ingredients you can make healthier popsicles with any flavor you can imagine.

Not only does the summer bring warm weather and tons of summer activities, but it also yields a fresh crop of increasingly useful avocados!

The avocado is native to the Mexican state of Puebla, which helps explain why it's so popular in Mexican cooking.

While I'm more of a soccer and tennis fan myself, I still enjoying catching some football games when I get the chance.

I always suggest something fast and simple so you have more time to share with friends; and when we think of the ultimate food to serve for a football game, only one thing comes to mind - wings!

Everyone's favorite breakfast dish can be prepared in a moment's time with just a few ingredients and minimum effort.

I had seen the photographs of Harlem in its glory days, stylish men in bespoke suits, women so well dressed that they'd put the models in 'Vogue' to shame. I knew that Harlemites loved to dance, to pray, and to eat.

Harlem is not a playground for rich bankers and consultants. It's got students of all colors. It's got old people who keep history and tell tall tales.

I want to make sure the cooking industry becomes more and more diverse.

Getting to a place of comfort can be uncomfortable.

I feel fortunate to be part of the cooking community. We learn from each other.

Every day, whether I am teaching or entertaining - I absolutely love bringing different people and cultures together.

I am many different things, and that is why I am so proud to be American.

My father was a big influence - it was very important to him that we traveled, and he gave me my strong work ethic.

Sweden was once a very homogenous society, but no more. For decades, people have been coming into Sweden from all over the world, and that's changed the way we cook.

I'm OK with firing people when they fuck up, but canning them when they've done nothing wrong - that's painful. [on the layoffs needed after 9/11 hit the business]

Just us two men," my father said, my father who had so longed for a son that he had flown paper planes--adoption forms in triplicate--all the way to Africa to make his dream come true.

Packing lunches and going over menus is a great way to make small changes in the way your kids eat.

I love using rice as a flour; I'll grind roasted rice and dip fish in that. It gives a beautiful, crunchy texture.

For many sports fans, the onset of fall only means one thing: It's football season!

Simple ingredients can be used to make elegant dishes with just a little extra attention to detail.