Everyone Needs A Mentor.

I Wouldn't Ask Any Of My Employees To Do Anything I Wouldn't Do. And I Work As Hard, If Not Harder Than The Rest Of The Staff, To Set An Example. I Also Believe In Giving My Employees A Lot Of Room To Be Creative And To Express Themselves.

It's Okay To Play With Your Food.

I Launched The Emeril Lagasse Foundation To Provide Culinary Training, And Developmental And Educational Programs To Children In The Cities Where My Restaurants Operate. I Think Everyone Has A Responsibility To Give Back To The Community If They Can, And To Help Future Generations Learn New Skills.

I Started Cooking When I Was About 10. I Have Memories Like When I Was 6 Or 7 With My Mom, And When I Was 12 I Started Getting Real Serious About Cooking.

I Ended Up Turning Down A Full Scholarship Of Music At The Conservatory To Pay To Go To Cooking School.