Television in the '80s was very limited. There was no Food Network.

I grew up in Austria, and for me real comfort food is Wiener Schnitzel. Wiener Schnitzel and mashed potatoes because it reminds me of my youth... It reminds me when I grow up and it feels very comforting.

Italian food is all about ingredients and it's not fussy and it's not fancy.

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.

It's very important in a restaurant to really do the right hiring because there's no restaurant that you have one cook and one chef and nobody else in the kitchen. Generally you have five, ten, 15 people with you. So that's really important is to train them right, but first you have to hire the right people.

A good chef has to be a manager, a businessman and a great cook. To marry all three together is sometimes difficult.