Bobby Flay

“'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.”

“Don't underestimate the importance of having enough room to work. Grilling is much more relaxing when you are not trying to juggle a whole collection of plates and bowls as you do it. If your grill doesn't have enough workspace - and they almost never do - set up a table right next to your grill.”

“Don't try to be the next Rachael Ray or Bobby Flay, we already have those people. We want someone who is going to make their own mark on 'Food Network.'”

“For me, it's all about moderation. I don't kick things out of my diet, like carbs. But I'm not going to eat fast food.”

“I love the culture of grilling. It creates an atmosphere that is festive but casual.”

“I live in New York and I'm in New York basically all the time. I spend a lot of my time in my restaurants, and I feel like that's why they're successful.”

“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.”

“Today, when I hire, I look for people who want to be trained and molded.”

“One thing you don't want to do as a host is be running around all evening. Do as much as you can ahead of time, so all you have to do is grill the main ingredients.”

“The first time I was cooking for my wife, Stephanie, way before she was my wife, I actually put three chickens on the rotisserie and I closed the grill, which is really a bad idea. But I just wasn't thinking very straight that day. And I looked outside and I saw, like, smoke and flames.”

“Habaneros have a great fruity flavor, but the challenge is that you have to deflect the heat in order to taste the flavor. If you don't, you're dead. They should really have a warning sign on them. Deflect the habanero's heat by pairing it with sweet food.”

“I think a lot of times people design restaurants with flash in mind. I think you should design restaurants with function in mind. Make sure it's functional and works with what you're trying to accomplish. Design can come later.”

“Nothing goes perfectly, especially when you're opening a restaurant.”

“I think everybody at some point in time has thought to themselves, 'I have a really great idea for a restaurant.'”

“My contribution I hope is to get people to eat full-flavored food. If I could come away with that alone, that would be a fantastic accomplishment. I'm also very proud of being a very American chef.”

“I probably use my chef's knives more than any other tool in the kitchen. I'm not married to a particular brand, because they all work, they all have sharp blades.”

“Go vegetable heavy. Reverse the psychology of your plate by making meat the side dish and vegetables the main course.”

“I don't have a long family history of good cooks in my family.”

“Grilling takes the formality out of entertaining. Everyone wants to get involved.”

“I want to go to college and go back to Georgetown. It's a really cool place.”