Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

My most memorable meal was with my parents at Joel Robuchon's Restaurant Jamin in Paris. It was Christmas 1982, and the flavors - from cauliflower and caviar to crab and tomato - astounded me. It was the first time I remember thinking that I would like to really learn how to cook.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

Fresh herbs really belong anywhere you put them.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

I really cringe at the sight of pattypan squash. So pretty and cute and having no taste or exciting texture. Dull.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

If it's not messy and it doesn't drip over the sides, it's not a holiday hot chocolate -it's just an average hot chocolate.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

The best place to use vanilla beans is anywhere where they won't be mixed in with a million other flavors. Anything with dairy, yogurt, milk, cream, or eggs - any custard or flan - how can it be bad?

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

I really love muscle cars. I don't think people might realize that about me. I really want to go to an auto auction and blow my life savings on a Camaro. They have such design around them, such panache.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

A homemade hamburger can be a real treat.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

Red wine vinegar has some personality as well acidity.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

One of the most practical utensils I can't live without is my 'Joyce Chen' Scissors. They cut with precision.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

If I am making a spice rub or a spice mix for a braise or even just to crust a piece of fish, I'll use mustard seeds. If you soak them in a little bit of vinegar and let them get plumped and soft and then you puree them, they're delicious.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

I woke up on May 15, 1991, the day of my Barnard graduation, and I said to myself, 'By the end of today you will decide what you want to do with the rest of your life.'

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

Understand that nutrition plays a huge role in athletes' lives, and one of the most nutritious ways to eat is to cook your own food.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

The better the ingredients, the more farmers I can buy from, the closer I feel to the food I want to make that represents what I care about as a chef.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

I love it when a few simple ingredients come together on a plate, and I think, 'Wow, that's a dish.'

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

Sometimes I look up a recipe for chicken and tomatoes and end up cooking pork. The inspiration gets lost in translation.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

My father always said, 'If you love what you do, you won't mind slogging through it for several hours a day.'

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

I don't show just anyone how to crust a sea bass. That's sacred information.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

Make a stir-fried rice dish with some cut-up chicken and any vegetables folded into the rice for a 'one pot' meal lunch that has it all - protein, starch and vegetables.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

Food is so heavily connected to memory.

Alex Guarnaschelli
Alex Guarnaschelli

If you want to have a relationship, at some point you have to let yourself get caught.