Best 82 quotes of Emeril Lagasse on MyQuotes

A lot of parents ask me how to get kids to eat more vegetables. The first thing I say is that it starts from the top.

Anything made with love, bam! -it's a beautiful meal.

Being a food show and being me, I always kicked it up a notch, which means I would always elevate the spice level or the complexity of a particular dish. So, it was always like we're going to kick this up a little bit.

Books make great gifts because they expand your horizons and keep you cooking.

Cleanliness is very important. If you let kids make a total mess in the kitchen and then leave, you're not really teaching them anything.

Cooking is so popular today because it's the perfect mix of food and fun.

Food is very representative of a city's culture. In order to really get to know a place and the people, you've got to eat the food.

Food that's beautiful to look at seems to taste better than food that isn't.

Get up every day and try a little harder than the day before.

Growing up in New England, being schooled and classically trained, it needed to shake, it needed to evolve.

Home base is the support system where we have a culinary team, my own writers because of the shows and the books and stuff, we have a culinary team of about six people. Marketing, public relations, accounting and all that sort of stuff.

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

If kids can learn how to make a simple Bolognese sauce, they will never go hungry. It's pretty easy to cook pasta, but a good sauce is way more useful.

If somebody has a chance to put my food in their mouth, that tells the story.

If you don't follow your dream, who will?

If you think big, then it's going to be big.

I grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. My background was modest, and I worked at a Portuguese bakery in town.

I guess I feel that I was following my instincts, and at the same time being guided by the best. I became totally intrigued with Louisiana - the people, the food. It is a part of my life. Everything that has happened for me since moving here has just been icing on the cake.

I had a fierce curiosity about this food thing.

I have a lot of influences. I'm American-schooled. I'm classically trained. I'm a pretty universal student, if you will. I have a lot of degrees, which really don't pay the rent. I have two doctorate degrees, I have a bachelor's degree, but I'm still a cook.

I launched The Emeril Lagasse Foundation to provide culinary training, and developmental and educational programs to children in the cities where my restaurants operate. I think everyone has a responsibility to give back to the community if they can, and to help future generations learn new skills.

I like to keep things simple. It's really about the wine, food and the beach view. Nothing can beat that.

I love fresh citrus and always keep lemons, limes, and oranges on hand; they come in handy for spritzing up quickly grilled meats, seafoods, and vegetables, especially when followed up by a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

I love to cook; that's my passion.

I make some of my best recipes with a simple homemade stock. Keep shrimp shells stored in a plastic bag in the freezer. When you have almost a gallon-bag full, you can make a stock in 30 minutes that you can use in soups and sauces. You can then freeze the stock in ice-cube trays.

I mean, if you love what you do-whether you're an auto mechanic or you sew clothes or you cook-it's all about personal passion and love that really makes the thrust to the level that you want to get it to.

I'm not a TV guy. I'm a restaurant chef and a businessman.

I'm not impressed with presidents. I have met a few, but I'm not impressed with them.

I moved to Louisiana to become the executive Chef at Commander's Place. And I must say I had some encouragement from friends such as Ella Brennan, the queen of the New Orleans's culinary set, and others. This was very flattering to a young man with a dream. I was only 26 years old.

I'm pretty actively involved with the military because I think they're incredible human beings. If I can give back to them for what they're doing for us, it's a good thing. And I think to have happy soldiers, you need to feed them well.

I'm working harder than ever now, and I'm putting on my pants the same as I always have. I just get up every day and try to do a little better than the day before, and that is to run a great restaurant with great food, great wine, and great service. That's my philosophy.

In order to be big, you have to think big. If you think small, you're going to be small.

In the restaurant it's much more serious.

I respected it. I submerged myself into it. So on a lot of days off I would go and fish with the fishermen and the families that ran the boats. I would go work the fields with farmers. I would go and talk with farmers about growing particular products for me.

I spent a lot of time on farms when I was young. My uncle and my dad owned a big farm.

I started cooking when I was about 10. I have memories like when I was 6 or 7 with my mom, and when I was 12 I started getting real serious about cooking.

I think all kids need snacks. Mine are fruit machines. I give them things like apple slices, berries and melon. Do I let them eat ice cream? Absolutely. But not every day.

I think many cooks are afraid of undercooked meats. A good thermometer is a cook's best friend.

I think you have to be careful with spices. Kids' palates can be very delicate, and they might not like things overspiced. In my cookbooks for kids, I do a milder version of my signature spice blend, Emeril's Essence, called Baby Bam, which has no cayenne pepper.

I think you've got to keep it simple, keep it fresh. Stay away from all that processed stuff, read the labels.

I try to teach my son about sanitation, especially when handling foods like chicken that could be dangerous. I remind him to wash his hands all the time. When my son cooks with me, he stands on a step stool so he can reach the stove. I teach him about safety and fire.

I've always been known for bold flavors and rustic cooking, but there is another side to me. As you evolve as a cook, you understand life and how serious it is. There comes a point where there's got to be a better balance.

I've always done food that can work in a set time frame. The message I'm trying to get across is, it doesn't have to take three days to do this. With planning, you can do a lot and really have quality food every day.

I was on the board of Andre Agassi's foundation, and seeing the way it operated blew my mind. In 2002, I told my wife, I want to start a foundation to give back, I want it to be for kids in hard circumstances, and I want it to be culinary-driven, because that's who I am.

I wouldn't ask any of my employees to do anything I wouldn't do. And I work as hard, if not harder than the rest of the staff, to set an example. I also believe in giving my employees a lot of room to be creative and to express themselves.

Kids are now eating things like edamame and sushi. I didn't know what shiitake mushrooms were when I was 10 - most kids today do.

Life just doesn't hand you things. You have to get out there and make things happen. that's the exciting part.

Many of my staff have been with me for over 20 years. I have a great team, and I make sure they feel respected and appreciated.

Mom ran the house, so we grew up Portuguese.

My family... always had the value of the family table and these cultural influences of growing up.