All The Great Chefs I Know -

Most People Who Came Here Came For Economic Reasons Or Sometimes For Religious Or Political Reasons. I Didn't Have Any Of This. I Came Here, I Liked It, I Stayed. So I'm A Pure American - Even More Than People Who Are Born Here - Because I Did It By Choice As An Adult.

Children Never Lie...i Remember My Daughter Standing In Her Crib The First Time I Gave Her Caviar. I Put It On Bread. She Ate It And Said, "encore, Papa."

My Mother Likes What I Cook, But Doesn't Think It's French. My Wife Is Puerto Rican And Cuban, So I Eat Rice And Beans. We Have A Place In Mexico, But People Think I'm The Quintessential French Chef.

I Tell A Student That The Most Important Class You Can Take Is Technique. A Great Chef Is First A Great Technician. 'if You Are A Jeweler, Or A Surgeon Or A Cook, You Have To Know The Trade In Your Hand. You Have To Learn The Process. You Learn It Through Endless Repetition Until It Belongs To You.

This June, I'll Travel Once Again To The Food And Wine Magazine Classic In Aspen, Colorado. For Many Years, My Dear Friend Julia Child And I Have Teamed Up To Teach Classes Together At The Event; For The Past Seven Years, My Daughter, Claudine, Has Been My Cooking Partner On Stage.