20th-century Chef Quotes

Julia Child

Anthony Bourdain

Jacques Pépin

Paul Prudhomme

James Beard

Andrew Zimmern

Bethenny Frankel

When you cook it should be an act of love. To put a frozen bag in the microwave for your child is an act of hate.

The concept of being a locavore, or one who chooses whenever possible to incorporate locally grown or locally produced food into one's nutrition plan, is of great importance

Do not be afraid of cooking as your ingredients will know, and misbehave. Enjoy your cooking and the food will behave; moreover it will pass your pleasure on to those who eat it.

Fergus Henderson

A cook's job in my opinion is to be creative and push the boundaries of their cuisine and never stop experimenting.

At Babbo, each dish grew out of a conversation, trying to put something forth that was new and different. It was a combination of culinary adventurism and the dining-room experience with respect for the classic but with an eye toward innovation. And it was about eating locally, whether produce or fish or meat.

This is one of those rare recipes, surprising in its flavors and wonderful in its simplicity -- an out-and-out favorite of mine.

Bacon is like a good pair of Levi's-it never goes out of style.

Creating one single story often requires experimenting and planning and falling on your literary rear more than once before you find the way that works for your particular tale. The most important issue is to keep on trying until you get it right.

In the rush to industrialize farming, we've lost the understanding, implicit since the beginning of agriculture, that food is a process, a web of relationships, not an individual ingredient or commodity.

Through food we express love. We bring comfort and hope. We forge new relationships and strengthen old bonds. Food reaffirms not only our humanity but the joy of being alive.

Marcus Samuelsson

If you sometimes feel depressed or let down, if you're suffering from the pressures of life, or simply having a plain old grey day, my advice is to roast a chicken.

Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what's right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.

Fortunately, I knew the cardinal rule of getting on with one's fellow cooks. It applies in any kitchen and can be summed up in two short words: bust ass.

A recipe is not meant to be followed exactly—it is a canvas on which you can embroider.

Food, like the people who eat it, can be stimulated by wine or spirits. And, as with people, it can also be spoiled.

If you're not in a good mood, the only thing you should make is a reservation.

A recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation.

I wonder if I love the communal act of eating so much because throughout my childhood, with four older brothers and a mom who worked in the restaurant business, I spent a lot of time fending for myself, eating alone - and recognizing how eating together made all the difference.

I want my recipes to be clever examples of a bigger story, a celebration of resource responsibility and spending with purpose.

Melissa d'Arabian

When the taste changes with every bite and the last bite tastes as good as the first, that's Cajun.

Ham held the same rating as the basic black dress. If you had a ham in the meat house any situation could be faced.

A number of rare or newly experienced foods have been claimed to be aphrodisiacs. At one time this quality was even ascribed to the tomato. Reflect on that when you are next preparing the family salad.

If happiness were easy, everybody would feel it all the time, and it wouldn't seem like such an elusive prize.

Bethenny Frankel

They say that black-eyed peas bring you luck when eaten on New Year's Day, and New Year's is also the time of year many people go vegan, so not only will you be lucky, so will the animals!

Isa Chandra Moskowitz

It's foolish to go through life bemoaning the fact that you can't have this or that. Twaddle! You can omit certain foods and still enjoy eating.