The worst thing for me is to not taste what I'm eating, to not know what I'm eating. It upsets me to no avail.
My cooking philosophy, what I try to do, is to make a cuisine where the produce and the product shines, compared to some current trends that are maybe more adding additional things, like molecular cuisine, with a lot of additives and chemicals, which are now showing that they could be bad for your health.
I am a gourmand. I like to eat. When I have something that I like, I tend to have too much of it. That is a guilty pleasure.
In France, we have a geographic situation that is very exceptional, and it creates produce that is completely exceptional.
Right now, I am doing the reverse of molecular gastronomy. I'm working with scientists to find ingredients and produce that are proven to be good for you.
Las Vegas is amazing because of the clientele you have here. People come from all over the world; it really is a melting pot.
Southeast Asia food uses many different types of spices which are quite new to me, like the curry leaves which I saw at the Kreta Ayer wet market in Chinatown. With such spices used in cooking, this usually imparts a strong aroma to Southeast Asian food, which appeals to the senses.
If you are killing a chicken and cooking a chicken, it has to taste like chicken. Veal has to taste like veal. You have to be able to identify what you're eating. One of my worst experiences is when I can't tell what I'm eating. It is a waste.
When a dish works, it works for everyone, whether you're Asian, European, African, American or anybody else.
The older I get, the more I realize the truth is the simpler the food, the more exceptional it can be.
In Europe, you can sit out and sit in the sun, and you get a very golden tan. The tan you get in Las Vegas is a darker tan, and it's not the same.
I am very honored for all the distinctions and accolades, but what I am most sensitive to is my clientele and the fact they are pleased with my food and my restaurants.
In France today, people no longer eat as much heavy food and fat as they did 15 or 20 years ago. These days, French cooking, through the influence of 'grande cuisine,' has become a bit lighter. And we are beginning to discover the original flavors of our produce.
When you cook, you take a life. When you eat fish, or meat, you take a life. And you must be very respectful of the ingredients and that is very important.
Vegas represents the idea of America I had as a kid. The big cars, the pretty girls; everything is possible in Vegas.
When I used to have a show on French TV, people would ask me how my jacket stayed spotless while cooking. Your whole area has to be clean - and you have to keep it that way.