My Mother Likes What I Cook, But

All The Great Chefs I Know - Thomas Keller, Jean-georges Vongerichten - They Are Technicians First.

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.

Thirty, 40 Years Ago, More Than That Now, Even, The Cook Was Certainly At The Bottom Of The Social Scale. And Any Mother Would've Wanted Their Child To Marry A Doctor, A Lawyer, An Architect, Not A Cook. Now, We Are Genius, It's Different.

Fortunately, I Knew The Cardinal Rule Of Getting On With One's Fellow Cooks. It Applies In Any Kitchen And Can Be Summed Up In Two Short Words: Bust Ass.

My Palate Is Simpler Than It Used To Be. A Young Chef Adds And Adds And Adds To The Plate. As You Get Older, You Start To Take Away.