I have always been involved with both music and food. Music was first, and I kind of had to set that on the back burner when food took over.

I came here because the city has a tradition and is a very respected food city.

When you look at Louisiana food, you'll see there is a tremendous amount of respect. Mainly because of the amount of years... it has 200 years of history. There are restaurants that have menus that are older than most U.S. cities.

Spice is life. It depends upon what you like... have fun with it. Yes, food is serious, but you should have fun with it.

I ended up turning down a full scholarship of music at the conservatory to pay to go to cooking school.

Music is one of those things that is constantly going in my head all the time. It's sort of like the evolution and creation of doing food, or my philosophy about wine. It's always beating in my head, so it keeps the spirit moving.