The Summer Before I Went To Culinary

There's Nothing Like A Home-cooked Meal - Nothing! When People Ask Me What The Best Restaurant In L.a. Is, I Say, 'uh, My House.' It's More Intimate. Food Can Connect People In A Forever Sort Of Way.

Every Time I Think I Have Something Under Control, It Changes And I Don't Have It Under Control. I Think It Takes Several Years To Get There. Jade Is 19 Months Old, So Right Now I'm On Alert All The Time. And As A Mom I Think You're Constantly Worrying About Things.

I Lost My Brother When He Was 30, And That Was Devastating For Me. I Don't Know If I Will Ever Get Over It.

When I Was A Kid, For My Birthday Every Year, My Mother Made Me Pasta Bechamel, Which Is Rigatoni With A White Cream Sauce.

To A Billion People Around The World Surviving On Just A Dollar A Day, The Question Of What To Eat Tonight Is More About Life And Death Than About Recipes. The Struggle Of Poor People Around The Globe Weighs Heavily On Me, Especially Now That I Am A Mother, Which Is Why I Work With Oxfam.