I wake up naturally and begrudgingly around 6:10 A.M. That's wired in so deeply that I wake up at that time no matter where I am, in any time zone. I wish I could sleep later.

I've had an untraditional trajectory with food: I was in my mom's home, then I was a college kid making mac and cheese and quesadillas, and then I was a professional cook. I never had that time where you figure out how to cook for yourself at home.

The delicate sweetness of just-picked vegetables is always worth savoring.

People never used to look at me twice. That was my superpower: When I met someone, I could decide whether to care about them based on whether they cared about me.

Chez Panisse is a sensory temple - you might have to be made of stone not to fall for it.