With My Crazy Schedule, That Often Means

I Was So Nervous To Turn 40, But The Last Year And A Half Has Been The Most Fun I Have Ever Had.

Many Chefs Of A Certain Caliber Do Not See Me As A Chef. I Don't Have A Restaurant. They See Me As A Tv Food Personality, Not A Chef. I've Gotten Respect, Trust Me, They Respect Me, But I Think That I Can't Hit That Particular Level Of Respect From Them Until I Have A Successful Vegas Restaurant That Not Only Makes Money But Creates Unbelievable Food And A Fabulous Experience. I Don't Think People Think I Can Cook, And They Don't Think I Know What The Hell I'm Doing.

I Write Everything Down. I E-mail The Second I Think Of Something, Or I Write Notes In My Blackberry Calendar. I Set Up Reminder Alerts On My Phone. And I Have A Notebook By My Bedside So I Can Write Down Any Last-minute Ideas.

My Goal Is To Make Italian Food Clean And Accessible And Beautiful And Tasty, With Simple Ingredients That People Can Find At A Local Grocery Store, Because People Don't Want To Go To A Gourmet Shop In Search Of Items That Will Sit In Their Pantry For Years After They Use Just A Teaspoon Or Pinch Of Them.

I Spent Time At My Grandfather Dino's Gourmet Store Where He Brought In Chefs From Naples To Cook. I Thought Of Them As Rock Stars.