My Grandfather Gave Me Inspiration To Cook,

I'm Comfortable In My Own Skin. I Know I'm Not Going To Ever Be Cindy Crawford Or Elle Macpherson.

My Goal Is To Make Italian Food Clean And Accessible And Beautiful And Tasty, With Simple Ingredients That People Can Find At A Local Grocery Store, Because People Don't Want To Go To A Gourmet Shop In Search Of Items That Will Sit In Their Pantry For Years After They Use Just A Teaspoon Or Pinch Of Them.

My Grandfather Gave Me Inspiration To Cook, And Love Food And Flavors. My Aunt Raffie, Gave Me Creativity And The Inspiration To Create New Things. My Mother Inspires Me To Find Simplicity In Food.

I Eat A Little Bit Of Everything And Not A Lot Of Anything. Everything In Moderation. I Know That's Really Hard For People To Understand, But I Grew Up In An Italian Family Where We Didn't Overdo Anything. We Ate Pasta, Yes, But Not A Lot Of It.

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.