Michael Mina

“There's always room to improve in a restaurant. A restaurant is better or worse every day than it was the day before. It's impossible not to be, because it's human.”

“You have to always remember who your guest is, and that's who we cater to.”

“When your parents are Middle Eastern immigrants, you have three choices. You can become a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer.”

“I'm passionate about pleasing people.”

“I love San Francisco; it's very hard to compete with San Francisco when it comes to availability of product, but one thing you can't replace about Las Vegas or Miami is people are walking in the door and they want to have a good time.”

“With chefs, the problem is we have to be very confident because people are looking at us for that. So pretty soon, you think you're a plumber, you think you're an electrician, you think you're an accountant.”

“I loved growing up in Washington, but I have been a diehard, 100 percent 49ers fan since I was 11.”

“Bringing your kids into the kitchen doesn't require you to be a top chef; only time and maybe a willingness to get a little messy.”

“Of course you do things differently in your 30s and 40s than in your 20s.”

“People love steak all over the United States.”

“Food is all about balance; it is all about taste.”

“When designing a kitchen, always keep in mind the social aspect.”

“I believe what makes cooking in Las Vegas different from cooking in most other cities are the guests that dine with you in Las Vegas.”

“The part that I know I enjoy most is the restaurants. You can't do everything, you know? For me, the priority has been being deeply involved in my restaurants and figuring out different ways to make them run better.”

“I look at each one of my restaurants, and I want my personality to come out. Some are serious, some are intense when it comes to food and wines, some are meat masters supreme. I enjoy all my guests.”

“I had always been told cooking was a servant's job.”

“I did want to share with you one of the greatest lessons I've learned over the years cooking for my kids - there is enormous value in bringing children into the kitchen.”

“I take after my mother more than my father in terms of personality. My mother's a worrier, and I'm a worrier. Both were very good with numbers and mathematics, so I kind of got that from both of them.”

“My last two years of high school, I did work-study half the day, and I ran the restaurant. It was just this little restaurant, but it was just so cool. I had 35, 40 employees.”

“There are two ways to look at how life works and how people find their paths. One way is you take your time and try different things out. The other is you settle in early. I was into cooking very early.”