A biography for Wolfgang Puckhasn’t been written yet.
“I always tell people that they are really the critics. If people come three times a week to your restaurant they are the ones who find something they really love.”
“A good chef has to be a manager, a businessman and a great cook. To marry all three together is sometimes difficult.”
“There's a lot of processed food in America and I know that can make some tourists who're used to fresh food feel sick.”
“I like the Japanese knives, I like French knives. Whatever's sharp.”
“In L.A. you live in a big city, but you feel like you're in the countryside. For example, I can be at home in the swimming pool and be five minutes from everything.”
“I like Dover sole. It's always one of my favorites. I like it when I'm in England. I eat it every day almost. I think it's probably one of my favorite fish.”
“When you meet someone, ask about what hobby they have, not what they do. People always ask me about cooking, but I prefer to talk about tennis or boxing.”
“When I was 27, if I didn't put 15 things in one dish I wasn't happy.”
“I learned more from the one restaurant that didn't work than from all the ones that were successes.”
“I think the time of the formal dinners is over.”
“New Yorkers think they have everything, all the best art and music. But really L.A. is a better place.”
“I like to be firm. But it is easier to be nice than to be nasty.”
“I grew up so poor in Austria that we never took a vacation with my family.”
“One thing I always say is being a great chef today is not enough - you have to be a great businessman.”
“Now everybody thinks that once you do Top Chef, then 13 weeks later you're a chef. Nobody wants to learn to cook anymore.”
“Italian food is all about ingredients and it's not fussy and it's not fancy.”
“I tell everybody the same thing: You have to make every dish so when you taste it, you should remember it when you go home.”
“If you're cooking for a woman, make a good risotto and a salad. If you don't have time to make desert you can go and buy some macaroons to have afterwards.”
“The most important thing for me is to really buy the best ingredient.”
“You know, I never really thought of myself as a 'celebrity.' One of the titles that I like least is 'celebrity chef.'”