I wanted to learn everything I could about what it takes to be a great chef. It was a turning point for me.

Now the restaurants have begun to catch up with the wine-making; there are numerous great restaurants in Napa Valley, and it's wonderful because the people are there for just that: great food and great wine.

Some of the recipes in the book have evolved for us. Many haven't.

I like to drink young wines, wines which are robust and have a lot of forward fruit to them.

You're getting to know who the great chefs are through their books.

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.

We go through our careers and things happen to us. Those experiences made me what I am.

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.

My childhood wasn't full of wonderful culinary memories.

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.

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.

It's one thing you aspire to: someday, you'll be able to write a book.

Your idea of that dish has evolved, and if you're a cook, you can start thinking in different ways about it, maybe even a different way than I think about it.

Food should be fun.

But once in a while you might see me at In and Out Burger; they make the best fast food hamburgers around.

In any restaurant of this caliber, the chefs are in the same position, building relationships.

My favorite wines are Zinfandels.

I drank more wine when I wasn't working as much, to be honest.

The law of diminishing returns is something I really believe in.

I think every young cook wants to write a book.

Hopefully, imparting what's important to me, respect for the food and that information about the purveyors, people will realize that for a restaurant to be good, so many pieces have to come together.

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.

A kaiseki meal is like that, very small courses over a long period of time.

When I go out to eat, it's usually something moderate in style.

We rely on our purveyors to tell us what's available and what's good.

Whether it's destiny or fate or whatever, I don't think I could do a French Laundry anywhere else.

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 have no formal culinary training, right.

I wanted to learn everything I could about what it takes to be a great chef. It was a turning point for me.

No, it's funny, when I eat out it's not typically in the kind of restaurants people might imagine.

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.

In any restaurant of this caliber the chefs are in the same position building relationships.

Youre getting to know who the great chefs are through their books.

Once you understand the foundations of cooking whatever kind you like whether its French or Italian or Japanese you really dont need a cookbook anymore.

You have to be driven. You have to be focused. You have to be aware.

A recipe has no soul. You as the cook must bring soul to the recipe.

They kept us on the air probably a year more than they should have.

Running with the wrong crowd will never help you.

Use the occasion, for it passes swiftly.

When I graduated from law school in 1959, there wasn't a single woman on any federal bench. It wouldn't be a realistic ambition for a woman to want to become a federal judge. It wasn't realistic until Jimmy Carter became our president.

I'm a very happy, content member of David Cameron's team. I fought very hard to get my friend elected as leader of the Conservative party, then elected as the prime minister of this country, and I'm very happy being part of that team that is bringing change to this country.

When I started performing, I decided that if in five years I couldn't earn as much money acting as I could as a teacher, it would be unrealistic for me to continue on the stage.

I think you can make perfectly good television just from people who are genuinely interested, talking to people who genuinely know - simple as it sounds, it can be riveting.

NATO has been a thread throughout my life.

If you're not staying on top of your money, you are putting your financial well-being at risk.

Every day, people settle for less than they deserve. They are only partially living or at best living a partial life. Every human being has the potential for greatness.

If you don't understand viruses, phishing, and similar threats, you become more susceptible to them. If you don't know how social networks leak information that you thought was private, you're likely to reveal much more than you realize.

Everything that is somehow related to direction and filmmaking fascinates me, like cinematography.