Food during my early years was a very difficult issue for me. I grew up in an addictive family. My mother had serious problems with alcohol and prescription drugs. I was an overweight kid. I can remember back in those days there weren't the strategies that there are today to deal with those issues.

Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food nobody looks twice when it comes to their food. But there are golden nuggets everywhere.

If there is to be any hope of prosperity for this country it is by reversing that policy which made us simply the kitchen garden for supplying the British with cheap food.

There are times like after a long day of work when the thought of an easy drive-through is enticing. But then I remember how crappy I felt when I ate fast food in the past and it inspires me to head to the grocery store or my local farmer's market and whip up an easy but healthier option.

I don't let it bother me too much if someone doesn't like me. I just figure there's no accounting for taste. It's not me it's my acting. It's like if someone doesn't like someone's food they just don't like my acting.

Basically there are two things we know: Everybody has less time and the general public is demanding better food - better in terms of quality and better in terms of flavor.

'The Food Network' was just starting in New York and I was getting lots of attention from Mesa Grill. They had no money so if you couldn't get there by subway you couldn't be on. It wasn't like TV was something I really wanted to do - but I knew it would be great publicity for my restaurants.

Food decisions - do I eat this or not? - are always going to be there.

It's fun to pick a cuisine and say I'm going to research Ethiopian food and see what it's all about. You find that there are a lot of similarities in cuisines from around the world and a lot of similar flavors.

When you cut that eggplant up and you roast it in the oven and you make the tomato sauce and you put it on top your soul is in that food and there's something about that that can never be made by a company that has three million employees.

There are pockets of great food in Spain but there are also pockets of very mediocre food in Spain and the same in Morocco and the same in Croatia and the same in Germany and the same in Austria.

There are a lot of food Nazis in the U.S. but I believe if you can show people what's really important they'll judge the rest for themselves.

It's fantastic to strive towards a nice life where you eat nice organic food and your children go to a nice school and you can afford nice clothes and nice perfume and the hypoallergenic make-up. But there's never a day goes by and I mean this from the bottom of my heart that I don't think about where I'm from.

I love South American food and I haven't really been down there. I really need a vacation.

There's nothing like a home-cooked meal - nothing! When people ask me what the best restaurant in L.A. is I say 'Uh my house.' It's more intimate. Food can connect people in a forever sort of way.

There's so much importance in honoring your everyday hero. It doesn't take money. It doesn't take connections. What matters is that people get involved. Whether your passion is gun control or food or whatever it may be everybody needs to stop being so self-absorbed.

There are realities we all share regardless of our nationality language or individual tastes. As we need food so do we need emotional nourishment: love kindness appreciation and support from others.