I Felt I'd Earned The

My Mom, Who's Been In The Restaurant Business For 40 Years, Is The Number-one Influence In My Life. But I Look Up To A Lot Of People In The Industry. Tops On My List Is Mario Batali. My Mom And Mario Taught Me The Same Lesson: Food Is Love.

I Like Feeling Like An Ox At The End Of The Day. I Like Working Hard.

If You're Preparing A Dinner For Friends Or A Holiday Dinner, Make Sure To Only Prepare Recipes You Are Comfortable With And Have Cooked Before. Cooking For Others Is Not The Time To Try Out A Recipe For The First Time. You End Up Spending All Your Time In The Kitchen Instead Of Enjoying Your Company.

I Had The Lunchbox That Cleared The Cafeteria. I Was Very Unpopular In The Early Grades. Because I Hung Out With My Grandfather, I Started To Bring My Lunchbox With Sardine Sandwiches And Calamari That I Would Eat Off My Fingers Like Rings. I Was Also Always Reeking Of Garlic.

I Live In, Literally, The Same Home When I Was Swiping My First Bank Card And Wondering If I'd Have To Put Back The Charmin. We Still Don't Have A Dishwasher. My Mom Has Done All These Gardens So Now My House Looks Like The Garden Shack In The Middle Of Versailles.