I Always Like To Have Flowers On

The Thing About All My Food Is That Everything Is A Remembered Flavor. Maybe It's Something I Had As A Child Or Maybe It's Something I Had In Milan, But I Want It To Taste Better Than You Ever Thought.

The Most Important Thing For Having A Party Is That The Hostess Is Having Fun. I'm Very Organized. I Make A Plan For Absolutely Everything. I Never Have Anything That Has To Be Cooked While The Guests Are There. The Only Thing I Might Have To Do Is Take Something Out Of The Oven And Carve It.

I Worked For The Office Of Management And Budget In The White House, On Nuclear Energy Policy. But I Decided It Would Be Much More Fun To Have A Specialty Food Store, So I Left Washington D.c. And Moved To The Hamptons. And How Glad I Am That I Did!

If It's A Cocktail Party, I Generally Make Five Or Six Different Things, And I Try To Choose Recipes That Feel Like A Meal: A Chicken Thing, A Fish Or Shrimp Thing, Maybe Two Vegetable Things, And I Think It's Fun To End The Cocktail Party With A Sweet Thing.

I'm Really A Scientist. I Follow Recipes Exactly - Until I Decide Not To. And Then I'll Follow Something Else Exactly. I May Decide I Could Turn This Peach Tart Into A Plum Tart, But If I'm Following A Recipe, I Follow It Exactly.