Thomas Keller

“I think that you’ve got to make something that pleases you and hope that other people feel the same way.”

“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.”

“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.”

“I have no formal culinary training, right.”

“My childhood wasn't full of wonderful culinary memories.”

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

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

“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 cal...”

“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.”

“The book is there for inspiration and as a foundation, the fundamentals on which to build.”

“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.”

“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...”

“I wanted to write about what we were doing at the French Laundry, the recipes and the stories.”

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

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

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

“My favorite wines are Zinfandels.”

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