Emeril Lagasse Quotations

I guess I feel that I was following my instincts, and at the same time being guided by the best. I became totally intrigued with Louisiana - the people, the food. It is a part of my life. Everything that has happened for me since moving here has just been icing on the cake.

My favorite Aspen memory is saving an upside-down cake that had exploded from the high altitude.

Scatter soaked hardwood chunks over your coals for a quick and easy way to add a smoky nuance to your grilled foods.

When I want to kick it up, I like to add hardwood chips or chunks to the grill; it adds bold smoky flavors. The most common woods are hickory and mesquite, but you can find alder, apple, cherry and, my personal favorite, pecan.

You can easily put together your own favorite spice blend, whether that's a salt and pepper mixture or you're adding herbs to it or Creole spice. Just watch out for the sodium content. That why I encourage you to make your own.

You know, for 300 years it's been kind of the same. There are restaurants in New Orleans that the menu hasn't changed in 125 years, so how is one going to change or evolve the food?

I think you have to be careful with spices. Kids' palates can be very delicate, and they might not like things overspiced. In my cookbooks for kids, I do a milder version of my signature spice blend, Emeril's Essence, called Baby Bam, which has no cayenne pepper.

Those other 10 o'clock shows that come on, all you get from them is headaches and nightmares when you go to bed! At least we give you food, know what I mean?

We'll be going to the fish market and a farmer's market this afternoon to get what we need to make and eat dinner as a family. I'm trying to expose my kids to going to a farmers market or the fish market and learning what that's all about.

You have to be cautious of eating continuously the same thing. Beef comes to mind right away, and there's nothing wrong with beef, but you've got to do whatever you're doing in moderation. So try to break it up a little bit. Eat some fish or some shellfish at least a couple of times a week.

Life just doesn't hand you things. You have to get out there and make things happen. that's the exciting part.

I respected it. I submerged myself into it. So on a lot of days off I would go and fish with the fishermen and the families that ran the boats. I would go work the fields with farmers. I would go and talk with farmers about growing particular products for me.

I had these recipes that say do this, do that. Who MAKES these rules?

I think many cooks are afraid of undercooked meats. A good thermometer is a cook's best friend.

If somebody has a chance to put my food in their mouth, that tells the story.

Mom ran the house, so we grew up Portuguese.

Radishes grow just about anywhere. People think, 'Oh it's just a radish.' But radishes are delicious, and people don't think of cooking them.

Soups are a great way to introduce a lot of vegetables to kids. Stir-fries, too, because they contain so many different shapes and colors.

You are going to be what you put in your body, so I try to teach that to my kids, and the kids around me.

My food is Louisiana, New Orleans-based, well-seasoned, rustic. I think it's pretty unique because of my background being influenced by my mom, Portuguese and French Canadian. There's a lot going on there.

Start with a clean grill. Keep it clean by brushing with a wire brush after preheating, and again after cooking. Make sure to oil your grates and your food before putting it on the grill to keep it from sticking.

I'm pretty actively involved with the military because I think they're incredible human beings. If I can give back to them for what they're doing for us, it's a good thing. And I think to have happy soldiers, you need to feed them well.

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.

The premise of 'The Originals' are places that have been open 50, 60, 75, 100 years or longer that are still doing it right that maybe a lot of people, particularly the younger generations, have not even thought about.

The world has changed, and it's almost been 11 years. I have 975 employees. I have six restaurants. We haven't opened any new ones in almost three years.

We began building this incredible new foundation in this restaurant, and that's what began giving me the left-hand side of tradition and the right-hand side, my new palate.

We're setting up an urban farm for kids on more than 20 acres in New Orleans. We want to make this a world-class educational center for the community.

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'm not a TV guy. I'm a restaurant chef and a businessman.

We're a new show. We can't afford instant replay.

My inspiration was my mom. She's a great cook, and she still cooks, and we still banter back and forth about cooking. Growing up in a mostly Portuguese community, food was important and the family table was extremely important. At a very young age I understood that.

I came here because the city has a tradition and is a very respected food city.

I spent a lot of time on farms when I was young. My uncle and my dad owned a big farm.

When it ceases to be fun, I'll stop and just stay in my restaurants.

Whether it's books or TV, or whatever the case may be, the backbone of what I do is my restaurants.

A lot of parents ask me how to get kids to eat more vegetables. The first thing I say is that it starts from the top.

Growing up in New England, being schooled and classically trained, it needed to shake, it needed to evolve.

My family... always had the value of the family table and these cultural influences of growing up.

Being a food show and being me, I always kicked it up a notch, which means I would always elevate the spice level or the complexity of a particular dish. So, it was always like we're going to kick this up a little bit.

I have a lot of influences. I'm American-schooled. I'm classically trained. I'm a pretty universal student, if you will. I have a lot of degrees, which really don't pay the rent. I have two doctorate degrees, I have a bachelor's degree, but I'm still a cook.

I was on the board of Andre Agassi's foundation, and seeing the way it operated blew my mind. In 2002, I told my wife, I want to start a foundation to give back, I want it to be for kids in hard circumstances, and I want it to be culinary-driven, because that's who I am.

I've always done food that can work in a set time frame. The message I'm trying to get across is, it doesn't have to take three days to do this. With planning, you can do a lot and really have quality food every day.

My office in New York is overflowing with all kinds of cookbooks, and in New Orleans we have a huge culinary library. So yeah, I guess I'm a little bit obsessed.

When I first decided to open a restaurant, I was turned down by several banks. It was the late 80's and many restaurants were failing. I refused to give up because I knew I had a good concept.

You know, in 1975 I couldn't get a job in New York City because I was American. The kitchens were predominantly run by French, Swiss, German, and basically I got laughed at. I had education, I had experience, but got laughed at because I was American.

My Food Network shows, 'Emeril Live' and 'Essence of Emeril,' are not in production right now, but I wouldn't say that I'm necessarily leaving Food Network. I have a lot of television still in me. I enjoy teaching people, so it's just a matter of time before I do something new.

Now that years have gone by and I look back at it and I can put one and two together, it was my childhood memories and cultural feelings and beliefs in the whole tie-in of the French Canadian/Portuguese thing.

I am committed to using only the finest and freshest products. People have come to expect that, and I will never let them down.

I'm a good listener. And you have to have people to be a good listener. I take that very seriously. And that helps me to do better television. I don't really watch myself, so it's not like I'm critiquing. I just don't do that. What I really get inspired from is the people.

I lost pretty much all our refrigeration, ... That stuff is all custom built.

We're probably close to reaching 2,000 shows, which is more than Julia Child and Jacques Pepin together.

My mom is Portuguese, and my dad is French Canadian. The solid foundations of those heritages, cultures and techniques, melded with my education and classical background, lead to my style of cooking.

I was the guy that spent 18 hours a day on the telephone, finding people, moving people, (checking on) the other six restaurants . . . now I've got a third less revenue. I was running the business, and the business is about people.

I was a whiz kid at music, and cooking was more of a challenge. I eventually went to culinary school, Johnson & Wales.

My best friend became the manager and maitre d', and he and I-with 33 people-opened this white tablecloth restaurant in the Warehouse District in 1990. By the end of '90, it blew the charts: we were getting every award, we got the highest review ever done.

When you look at Louisiana food, you'll see there is a tremendous amount of respect. Mainly because of the amount of years... it has 200 years of history. There are restaurants that have menus that are older than most U.S. cities.

As I spent a couple of days there, I realized how blessed I am, but you realize what still is going on in the pockets of this country that we don't know about. To say these kids are 'at risk' is an understatement. They have parents who are on drugs, shot, in jail,

I want to give people jobs, believe me, ... I want to get back there and rebuild and want to be a part of the community. My heart is with my staff.

I want people to know... the difference between Creole and Acadian cooking. As you can tell, I am passionate about the Louisiana that I love. I guess you could say I am restoring and preserving the past and sharing the future.

After talking to people all day long in the restaurant, which I love to do, I look forward to being quiet at home.

I'm gonna do it MY way! The problem with cooking is too many rules. You don't have to have perfect squares. Who cares, you know? Like we got some architect judging us at breakfast!

I love to teach, and I am thrilled that so many people want to learn from me. My job is really an art form. I must say I still am shocked at how many people, regardless of their age, want to learn to cook. TV has added so much for me. It has added such a dimension for me, it is wonderful.

I love it all, because it's all real.

I know this is a major catastrophe, but I work so far in advance. My things are planned, my people are planned, ... I don't know anyone out there who's been more rah-rah for the city of New Orleans in the last couple of weeks.

I'm just fortunate that now I have an audience of people on the show who don't have to pretend they have smell-o-vision. We're actually feeding these people. I'm putting my reputation on the line as an artist, as a chef.

I never thought about what it was to have fresh milk, or to take milk and make it into cheese and that sort of thing.

Because of my restaurant schedule and other commitments I have, I shoot up to 12 shows in a week. It's taped live.

I am very fortunate that I have a large audience who watches my show, and who seem to love my show, and there's certainly a lot of people contact that comes from that. But that really hasn't changed what I still feel, or how I get up in the morning, or what motivates me to get to work.

Spain has some of the richest culinary traditions and truly appreciates food that is simply prepared with top-notch ingredients.

I love to cook; that's my passion.

I moved to Louisiana to become the executive Chef at Commander's Place. And I must say I had some encouragement from friends such as Ella Brennan, the queen of the New Orleans's culinary set, and others. This was very flattering to a young man with a dream. I was only 26 years old.

One big reason I do what I do is there's no two days alike. It's not work for me. It's my life. My passion.

Books make great gifts because they expand your horizons and keep you cooking.

Home base is the support system where we have a culinary team, my own writers because of the shows and the books and stuff, we have a culinary team of about six people. Marketing, public relations, accounting and all that sort of stuff.

Food that's beautiful to look at seems to taste better than food that isn't.

I don't limit myself.

Get up every day and try a little harder than the day before.

I mean, if you love what you do-whether you're an auto mechanic or you sew clothes or you cook-it's all about personal passion and love that really makes the thrust to the level that you want to get it to.

I make some of my best recipes with a simple homemade stock. Keep shrimp shells stored in a plastic bag in the freezer. When you have almost a gallon-bag full, you can make a stock in 30 minutes that you can use in soups and sauces. You can then freeze the stock in ice-cube trays.

We're probably close to reaching 2,000 shows, which is more than Julia Child and Jacques Pepin together.

Many of my staff have been with me for over 20 years. I have a great team, and I make sure they feel respected and appreciated.

Wrap fish fillets, sliced veggies, and other quick-cooking items inside foil packets with bundles of fresh herbs and throw them directly on the grill; the steam will release the herb's perfume and flavor anything contained inside the pouch.

I can't tell you enough about cinnamon. Cinnamon is an awesome spice to use and it goes great with something like apples in the morning or in a mixture of fruit or in your oatmeal or even in your cereal.

I grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. My background was modest, and I worked at a Portuguese bakery in town.

I'm working harder than ever now, and I'm putting on my pants the same as I always have. I just get up every day and try to do a little better than the day before, and that is to run a great restaurant with great food, great wine, and great service. That's my philosophy.

I've always been known for bold flavors and rustic cooking, but there is another side to me. As you evolve as a cook, you understand life and how serious it is. There comes a point where there's got to be a better balance.

In the restaurant it's much more serious.

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.

I had a fierce curiosity about this food thing.

I love fresh citrus and always keep lemons, limes, and oranges on hand; they come in handy for spritzing up quickly grilled meats, seafoods, and vegetables, especially when followed up by a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

My philosophy from day one is that I can sleep better at night if I can improve an individual's knowledge about food and wine, and do it on a daily basis.

What I go for in my cooking is sinful, bold and real.

Kids are now eating things like edamame and sushi. I didn't know what shiitake mushrooms were when I was 10 - most kids today do.

It's okay to play with your food.

I think all kids need snacks. Mine are fruit machines. I give them things like apple slices, berries and melon. Do I let them eat ice cream? Absolutely. But not every day.

Cleanliness is very important. If you let kids make a total mess in the kitchen and then leave, you're not really teaching them anything.

I try to teach my son about sanitation, especially when handling foods like chicken that could be dangerous. I remind him to wash his hands all the time. When my son cooks with me, he stands on a step stool so he can reach the stove. I teach him about safety and fire.

You go to a restaurant in the States and kids have these game boards at the table. You don't see that in Italy or Spain. It's not because they can't afford to buy them, it's because that's not what eating together as a family is about.

I like to keep things simple. It's really about the wine, food and the beach view. Nothing can beat that.

I ended up turning down a full scholarship of music at the conservatory to pay to go to cooking school.