At Eleven Madison Park, instead of brioche or chocolates, we give our guests a jar of breakfast granola as a gift at the end of a meal. We also make savory granolas.

You've got to listen to your guests.

A cookbook is a moment in time because, otherwise, you look back at the end of the day, and all the meals have been eaten, and the experience is gone.

The perfect ham and cheese sandwich is all about focusing on quality ingredients and about simple techniques. You start with great bread, a well-cured ham and a sharp local cheese, and the rest is easy. A little butter in a pan and a little patience - in the end you'll have a sandwich that is at once comforting and delicious.

I realized I was never going to be Lance Armstrong. And in biking, if you want to make money, you have to be the best.

When I was a child, she'd have me wash the lettuce ten times or open walnuts by hand to make a cake. I was like, 'Mom, this is ridiculous.' But now? I run my kitchen the same way.