At 38, we're not going to change. You are who you are.

I always tell my family - and they laugh about it - but someday, I will write a vegetarian book. My cousin, who's a big vegetarian, tells me flat out, 'You're my favorite vegetarian chef.'

Ripe avocados should be soft, not squishy, and you should be able to flick the little stem off easily.

Did I ever think about TV stardom? I don't watch a lot of TV. I wasn't even aware of the phenomenon of what was going on in food television, what you started with the Food Network.

I'm in a very unique position in that I got to participate in the Food Network by contest. That's long gone, being voted on, but I don't forget where it came from, and I don't forget the people who worked to put me here.

I never knew I would go this far, but I was told by people it wouldn't happen, and now I own four restaurants, and I have one of the best shows on the Food Network. I'm living in the Super Bowl of food.