Part of being successful is about asking questions and listening to the answers.
I started in the restaurant business at the age of 19 as a waitress. I loved the atmosphere and the camaraderie of the restaurant business. I loved not having to go to an office. I loved making people happy.
Taste as you go. When you taste the food throughout the cooking process you can make adjustments as you go.
I believe that there is always something new to learn, in fact, that is one of the three reasons that I chose to become a chef, that my education is never over.
I love the simplicity, the ingredients, the culture, the history and the seasonality of Italian cuisine. In Italy people do not travel. They cook the way grandma did, using fresh ingredients and what is available in season.
It’s not sticky unless it touches itself.
Organizing ahead of time makes the work more enjoyable. Chefs cut up the onions and have the ingredients lined up ahead of time and have them ready to go. When everything is organized you can clean as you go and it makes everything so much easier and fun.
I think people need more to do in their life if my hair pisses them off.
After two undefeated seasons of ‘Worst Cooks in America,’ I’m ready for a third. Going against Bobby Flay takes the challenge to another level, but I’m ready to whip these contestants into shape and the winner is sure to be from Team Burrell.
Organizing ahead of time makes the work more enjoyable.
My mom was a great cook so I always wanted to eat and make stuff. I did cooking in 4-H but it wasn’t until I was out of college that I decided I wanted to make this my career.
There are so many things that you think will look cool but then you look like an idiot!
My hair is always a big topic. It is just hair.
I believe that if you have good organizational skills, then creativity can come out of that, but it’s hard to be really creative when everything is a mess. And in a restaurant, organizational skills are imperative.
There are many places that people can produce really good food. I wouldn’t limit it to an area of the country, it’s what the chefs have in them.