Most smoked salts are made with liquid smoke, which is a condensate, but really, really good smoked salt is literally smoked.

The most luxurious thing to me is having an hour of my day, which rarely happens, to listen to my iPod and sit on my couch. That's how I unwind.

What makes the food that we do at Alinea so interesting on the outside is that we really don't let ourselves say no to an idea.

It's not really the life of cooking that's hard - it's what you make of it and what level you push yourself to.

Alinea is not the type of restaurant where you go if you're in a hurry. Really, it's about enjoying that three-hour block of time and reflecting on the food, having great conversation with your dining companion.

She never smoked and that gets to the issue of secondhand smoke.