“I love cooking for myself and cooking for my family.”

If somehow every volunteer vanished tomorrow, so much of this country would come to a standstill: schools, hospitals and libraries.

When Courtney’s mother and I first separated I tried to be Disney Dad, showering her with gifts, trips and then I snapped out of it.

To me, there is no difference between ‘natural’ and ‘adopted.’ .

In the pregnancy process I have come to realize how much of the burden is on the female partner. She’s got a construction zone going on in her belly.

I was just thrilled to get the gig to begin with. Ten years later to still have it is not only thrilling but also somewhat of a puzzlement.

I have been blessed with working with the best in the business.

I was the oldest of six, and three of my siblings were adopted.

Watching the scenes out of New Orleans, if you turn down the sound it could be the Sudan or any Third World country. But it’s not. it’s the United States of America.

Mom and Dad even took in foster children. ‘There are no limits to how much you can love,’ Dad always said.

If I was having a bad day, eating was like self-medicating. But if you abuse food, you still have to use that substance that you abuse every day.

My first college roommate greeted me with a shocked silence followed by, ‘So. . .you’re black.

I don’t make plans, because life is short and unpredictable – much like the weather!

You don’t have to try to impress your kids. If they’re not getting what they need from you, they will let you know.

We already had an adopted daughter, 10-year-old Courtney, from my previous marriage.

My own childhood showed me that when it comes to loving your kids, concepts like that don’t apply.

Exercising is what I need for my metabolism and for a better sense of well-being.

If I relaxed, if I took my foot off the gas, I would probably die.

Cooking today is a young man’s game, I don’t give a bollocks what anyone says.

I cook, I create, I’m incredibly excited by what I do, I’ve still got a lot to achieve.

Being a chef never seems like a job, it becomes a true passion.

I cook for a living; I’m not a scheduler.

Cooking is about passion, so it may look slightly temperamental in a way that it’s too assertive to the naked eye.

I am well aware that a chef is only as good as his last meal.

I am well aware that a chef is only as good as his last meal.