Food should be fun.
Let's face it: if you and I have the same capabilities, the same energy, the same staff, if the only thing that's different between you and me is the products we can get, and I can get a better product than you, I'm going to be a better chef.
I wanted to learn everything I could about what it takes to be a great chef. It was a turning point for me.
Once you understand the foundations of cooking - whatever kind you like, whether it's French or Italian or Japanese - you really don't need a cookbook anymore.
They know what my standards are. They know what I need and how to get it to me, and they know how to communicate with me if for some reason they can't get it.
My childhood wasn't full of wonderful culinary memories.
It wasn't about mechanics; it was about a feeling, wanting to give someone something, which in turn was really gratifying. That really resonated for me.
I think every young cook wants to write a book.
We go through our careers and things happen to us. Those experiences made me what I am.
Then, as the day progresses, depending on how the product is coming in - for instance, the fish man will fax us and say black bass is great - throughout the day, we'll also make judgment calls and adapt to what's available.
The law of diminishing returns is something I really believe in.
I drank more wine when I wasn't working as much, to be honest.
I hope the cooks who are working for me now are getting that kind of experience so they can use what they're learning now as a foundation for a great career.
You're getting to know who the great chefs are through their books.
It's one thing you aspire to: someday, you'll be able to write a book.
We rely on our purveyors to tell us what's available and what's good.
In any restaurant of this caliber, the chefs are in the same position, building relationships.
Some of the recipes in the book have evolved for us. Many haven't.
I wanted to write about what we were doing at the French Laundry, the recipes and the stories.
The book is there for inspiration and as a foundation, the fundamentals on which to build.
