Chef Quotes

Julia Child

Anthony Bourdain

Viktor Lutze

Jacques Pépin

Paul Prudhomme

James Beard

Andrew Zimmern

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.

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

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

China tea, the scent of hyacinths, wood fires and bowls of violets – that is my mental picture of an agreeable February afternoon.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

At the end of the day, when the food has all been served and savored, what's left is your connection to the people around your fire

Michael Chiarello

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Men and women are certainly but children of an older growth, which fact is especially emphasized during times of sickness and suffering.

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.

Provence is a country to which I am always returning, next week, next year, any day now, as soon as I can get on a train.

Elizabeth David

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.

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

The tragedy in the long history of the German people is that it has seldom had real leaders. Not that it lacked military leadership. What was lacking was political leadership, the political idea, the Weltanschauung (worldview) that National Socialism gives. The S. A. man as a political soldier is the bearer of this Weltanschauung, this National Socialist idea. Political soldiery is the foundation of the state.

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