“Grandmothers are the keepers of culture and the culinary flame.”
“It’s repeat, repeat, repeat … those techniques until they become part of yourself, your DNA.”
“We are better people when we eat well. I really, really believe that.”
“That’s how traditional cuisine happens — they do things over and over and distill what’s best.”
“Whether you think global warming exists or whether we’re responsible for it is irrelevant.”
“I wanted Americans to get a true sense of the culture, history, and makeup of Mexico.”
“Food provides another way of being in the world.”
“Food is … a talking point, the common ground … an equalizer.”
“I’ve learned to pay attention to what’s actually going on rather than what I wish was going on.”
“I see myself as an observer, and food is the window through which I look.”
“I think there ought to be a food-competency test for all high-school students.”
“The most important thing with Indian food is: Don’t be frightened.”
“Conversation really gets better when you’re all eating.”
“What we think of as soul food has its origins in a plantation diet that was primarily vegan.”
“You eat more plants and eat less of everything else. That’s what it all boils down to.”
“I want to be the translator between those early recipes and a modern audience.”
“For me, it’s about creating food I missed eating as a meat-eater.”
“Now that I’m not a restaurant critic, I’m able to go frequently to the restaurants I love.”
“The most interesting thing to me is the context in which real people sit down at real tables and eat real food.”
“I go to their houses; they teach me their recipes.”
The Culinate Interview | |
| We talk with people doing influential, important, or just plain unusual work in food. | |
| | Do-over feverRevisiting September’s effortsWhat an essay, grape jelly, and my house have in common. |
The Culinate InterviewJacques PépinThe technician | Local FlavorsThe beauty of breadcrumbsCherish the humble crumb |
The Produce DiariesChia seedsThe latest superfood | First PersonDinner of a lifetimeA changed man |