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Emeril Lagasse

Emeril Lagasse Quotes

Chef

Emeril Lagasse is a renowned American chef known for his unique culinary style and extensive experience in the field. Born on October 15, 1959, he developed a passion for cooking from a young age and eventually became a successful chef. Lagasse is widely recognized for his outstanding contributions to the culinary world and his promotion of culinary culture.

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Famous Emeril Lagasse Quotes

“When it ceases to be fun, I'll stop and just stay in my restaurants.”

Fun Cease Restaurants Stay Strong

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“Whether it's books or TV, or whatever the case may be, the backbone of what I do is my restaurants.”

May Book Cases Tvs Restaurants Backbone

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“You gotta have good olive oil. You should have a cooking olive oil and you should have a finishing olive oil, like an extra-virgin olive oil.”

Should Should Have Cooking Oil Extras Virgins Finishing Olives Olive Oil

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Ifs Stills Two Pay Influence Students Degrees Universal Cooks Schooled Bachelors Doctorates

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“Start with a clean grill. Keep it clean by brushing with a wire brush after preheating, and again after cooking. Make sure to oil your grates and your food before putting it on the grill to keep it from sticking.”

Cooking Clean Oil Brushes Wire Brushing Grate

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Mean Littles Shows Bits Levels Particular Little Bit Kicks Complexity Dishes Spices Being Me Notches

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

People Feels Moving Happened Instinct Following Cake Intrigued Louisiana Moved On Icing Icing On The Cake

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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 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.”

Hands Oil Meat Extras Vegetables Virgins Orange Lemons Seafood Olives Handy Limes Olive Oil Drizzle Citrus

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Use Simple Minutes Ice Bags Plastic Shells Soup Recipes Freeze Sauce Cubes Gallons Homemade Shrimp Trays Plastic Bags Freezer

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Growing Fields Particular Products Fishes Boat Ran Farmers Fisherman Days Off Submerged

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Thinking Needs Giving Kids Mines Machines Fruit Ice Apples Cream Ice Cream Berries Snacks Melons

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Thinking Might Kids Baby Essence Careful Versions Be Careful Delicate Spices Signatures Peppers Cookbook Palate

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Trying Hands Steps Teach Fire Dangerous Son Safety Cooks Chickens My Son Stoves Stools Sanitation

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Way Want Giving Mind Hard Kids Wife Seeing Circumstances Foundation My Wife Driven Who I Am Boards Culinary Giving Back

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Ifs Giving Believe Hard Asks Rooms Creative Example Harder Employee Staff Be Creative

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Ifs Way Kids Easy Simple Hungry Cooks Sauce Pasta

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“My food is Louisiana, New Orleans-based, well-seasoned, rustic. I think it's pretty unique because of my background being influenced by my mom, Portuguese and French Canadian. There's a lot going on there.”

Thinking Wells Mom Unique My Mom Backgrounds New Orleans Louisiana Portuguese Rustic

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“My office in New York is overflowing with all kinds of cookbooks, and in New Orleans we have a huge culinary library. So yeah, I guess I'm a little bit obsessed.”

Kind Littles Bits New York Huge Office Little Bit Yeah Library All Kinds Obsessed Culinary New Orleans Cookbook

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“The premise of 'The Originals' are places that have been open 50, 60, 75, 100 years or longer that are still doing it right that maybe a lot of people, particularly the younger generations, have not even thought about.”

People Years Has Beens Stills Generations Originals Premises Younger Generation

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“The world has changed, and it's almost been 11 years. I have 975 employees. I have six restaurants. We haven't opened any new ones in almost three years.”

World Years Three Havens Changed Six Restaurants Employee Three Years

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“Those other 10 o'clock shows that come on, all you get from them is headaches and nightmares when you go to bed! At least we give you food, know what I mean?”

Knows Giving Mean Shows Bed Clock Nightmare Headache

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“We'll be going to the fish market and a farmer's market this afternoon to get what we need to make and eat dinner as a family. I'm trying to expose my kids to going to a farmers market or the fish market and learning what that's all about.”

Needs Trying Kids Fishes Dinner Farmers Afternoon Farmers Markets

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“We're setting up an urban farm for kids on more than 20 acres in New Orleans. We want to make this a world-class educational center for the community.”

World Want Kids Community Class Educational Setting Settings Farms Urban New Orleans Acres World Class

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“When I first decided to open a restaurant, I was turned down by several banks. It was the late 80's and many restaurants were failing. I refused to give up because I knew I had a good concept.”

Giving Firsts Failing Giving Up Late Concepts Decided Restaurants Turned Down

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“When I want to kick it up, I like to add hardwood chips or chunks to the grill; it adds bold smoky flavors. The most common woods are hickory and mesquite, but you can find alder, apple, cherry and, my personal favorite, pecan.”

Want Common Add Woods Kicks Apples Flavor Chips Cherries Chunks Pecans Hardwood

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“You can easily put together your own favorite spice blend, whether that's a salt and pepper mixture or you're adding herbs to it or Creole spice. Just watch out for the sodium content. That why I encourage you to make your own.”

Together Watches Salt Mixtures Spices Herbs Peppers Creole Sodium Salt And Pepper

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“You have to be cautious of eating continuously the same thing. Beef comes to mind right away, and there's nothing wrong with beef, but you've got to do whatever you're doing in moderation. So try to break it up a little bit. Eat some fish or some shellfish at least a couple of times a week.”

Trying Mind Littles Bits Break Week Couple Eating Little Bit Fishes Moderation Cautious Beef Be Cautious Shellfish

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“You know, for 300 years it's been kind of the same. There are restaurants in New Orleans that the menu hasn't changed in 125 years, so how is one going to change or evolve the food?”

Knows Years Kind Changed Evolve Restaurants New Orleans Menus

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“You know, in 1975 I couldn't get a job in New York City because I was American. The kitchens were predominantly run by French, Swiss, German, and basically I got laughed at. I had education, I had experience, but got laughed at because I was American.”

Knows Running Jobs Cities New York Kitchen New York City Laughed Swiss

Author:Emeril Lagasse

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

Today Fun Perfect Food Cooking Culinary

Author:Emeril Lagasse

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

Ifs Thinking Inspirational Bigs Order Learning Think Big Famous Motivational

Author:Emeril Lagasse

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

Looks Seems Beautiful Taste Cooking

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

People Book Shows Home Stuff My Own Support Team Six Relation Marketing Culinary Accounting Public Relations Support Systems Home Base

Author:Emeril Lagasse

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

Book Cooking Horizon Great Gifts

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“Music is one of those things that is constantly going in my head all the time. It's sort of like the evolution and creation of doing food, or my philosophy about wine. It's always beating in my head, so it keeps the spirit moving.”

Philosophy Moving Spirit Creation Evolution Music Is Wine

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“I love to cook; that's my passion.”

Passion Cooking Cooks My Passion

Author:Emeril Lagasse

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

Made Beautiful Cooking Meals Made With Love

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“I had a fierce curiosity about this food thing.”

Curiosity Fierce

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“Spice is life. It depends upon what you like... have fun with it. Yes, food is serious, but you should have fun with it.”

Should Fun Serious Depends Should Have Having Fun Spices

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“One big reason I do what I do is there's no two days alike. It's not work for me. It's my life. My passion.”

Two Reason Bigs Passion My Passion Two Days

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“What I go for in my cooking is sinful, bold and real.”

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“It's okay to play with your food.”

Inspirational Play Okay

Author:Emeril Lagasse

“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.”

Men Years Dream Young Encouragement Moved Queens Young Man Executives Culinary Chef New Orleans Commanders Flattering Louisiana

Author:Emeril Lagasse

About the Author

Born: October 15, 1959
Known for: Chef
Quotes: 94

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