Chef Quotes

"There are some things I wish I never knew, but I am grateful for things that I have learned, too."

"For me, if something fits properly, it makes me feel good."

"I have a whole closet in my house that's dedicated just to jackets and coats, stuff that I've collected over the years."

"It's so easy to get used to playing a role. Then all of the sudden when you're tossed out of it, it's almost like you have to remember how to act again!"

"My husband and I are just really laid back people."

"'The Fight Club' DVD is great. I like anything that has really good extras because as an actor, it's really great to see the behind-the-scenes stuff and see how different actors approach their particular project."

"A lot of times you have to dip into the independent world to find the really great projects and the really great scripts. They're out there - you just have to search hard."

"I really like suspenseful movies and movies that make you think."

"I really like 'The Three Kings' DVD. I love that movie and all the extra footage and documentaries."

"I am just your everyday, average girl. I live by the beach. I wear flip flops. I don't wear make-up. I go to the gym."

"I have some amazing fans! They're just so dedicated and so nice and so sweet. I'm, like, no one and I'm just starting out, and these people appreciate your work and it's nice to hear that."

"Indian food has been huge in the UK forever and ever, but that's because it has a historical rooting. America, I think is really ripe for it. There's been so much interest in Indian culture."

"I simplify the spices. I'm the same way as everybody else: if I look at a recipe and there's ten spices in it, I'm going to have to think long and hard about when I'm going to be able to make that... so I try to simplify the spices to three or four."

"I'm more comfortable weaving Indian flavors into American classics."

"I started cooking seven years ago for real, and I started with pasta, and lasagna and roast chicken. Very normal American dishes. When I turned on Food Network, or any sort of cooking channel, that's what people were making. So that's where your education comes from."

"I'm going to scream this from the mountain top, there's no such thing as 'a curry.' There's six kazillion different kinds of curry. When someone asks how to make chicken curry, I have to ask 'Which one?'"

"I'm encouraged because you pick up any food magazine and there's two or three recipes involving Indian spices."

"I've always wanted to be someone with credibility, and I want my food to speak for myself."

"The food in south India is the food that I really love because it reminds me of home."

"I don't cook fancy every day. I don't think anybody can, nor would it be very good for you."

"It was improv that really helped me start coming up with recipes and just believe in my instincts. That's why the first recipe I made up was 'I Ain't Chicken Chicken' because I finally felt bold and fearless in the kitchen, which was an entirely new feeling for me."

"So many of the recipes that I come up with have a story. I'm a blogger. It flowed very naturally out of me, but I also knew this was a way to set my recipes apart. A, they are always using interesting ingredients but B, there is always a story behind it."

"My childhood was great, honestly. I have all these incredible memories of my childhood. I was an only child. I always had all my cousins around. I had my grandparents around. I had my parents around. I had my uncles around - whatever."

"I live in the moment, and I reflect later."

"I'm rap's vigilante. I'm out for justice."

"I'm still a huge Yankees fan. Growing up, Jeter was my guy, but Bernie Williams was my favorite player."

"I'm a championship handball player. I'm a championship softball and baseball player. I used to be an extremely talented center in high school in football. I also dabbled in lacrosse and soccer. I'm really good at billiards, darts, shuffleboard."

"Everything is creative. It's all relative to me. No matter what, you've gotta use your imagination, use your senses."

"I could never change the overall feel of my music. That's why people like me - I don't follow trends, and I don't follow crowds."

"The first rappers I ever got into were Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep, and Nas. Those are the guys. Those are the dudes that flipped my wig."