I appreciate the constant evolution in refining food, but not in making food gimmicky.

A lot of chefs don't have a natural sense of economy. I was with one guy the other day and I had to show him how to peel a turnip, because the way he was peeling turnips, he was throwing half of it in the garbage. It's not about being cheap. It's about being proper.

After six years at Le Cirque, I decided to start my own business. I opened Daniel at 76th Street in May 93.

A lot of young chefs today get carried away by trends, by influences, by movements.

Remember, it is never the knife's fault.

I learned from my grandmother, because we were cooking a lot for the farm. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

From Japan to Thailand, I keep discovering amazing talent, cuisine and food markets.

My favorite thing is when I go back and my mother cooks for me. Because it just throws me back the same flavor. And I try to modify things: I say, Why don't you do this and that? My mother is older, but she cooks a lot, and she doesn't want to change anything. She's a very good cook, and my grandmother was an amazing cook.

Loyal customers, or customers who recommend their friends, give me the most pride. I think that is the biggest compliment I can get. I think in the restaurant business, it takes patience from the customer to spark up a relationship with the restaurateur, but it takes also work from the restaurateur to spark up a relationship with his customer.

I am very concerned about nutrition and always try to be careful about what I eat.

Boning is a pain, but it makes such a majestic chicken.

I was at Plaza Athénée, where a jacket and tie was required. Andy Warhol came with his turtleneck, because he was always wearing a turtleneck, with a tie over it, and we gave him a jacket - so he had a jacket and tie over the turtleneck. It was pretty cool.

I wanted to work in a restaurant. Le Cirque was looking for a chef and they approached me. I was excited to be able to be part of this restaurant with an amazing reputation, but not a good one for food at the time. I made it clear that if I was coming to Le Cirque it was going to change.