I Know Growing Up As A Young

The Type Of Cuisine I Do, Especially After Being On 'iron Chef' For Several Years, Is A Lot Of Global Cuisine. My Strength Has Always Been Mediterranean Cuisine Across The Board From Morocco, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, But I Think Now I'm Doing A Lot Of Very Different Cuisines All The Time.

I Wanted So Badly To Be Straight Like My Friends. But I Couldn't Change It Any More Than I Could Change Having Brown Eyes. And I Knew I Would Never Fit Into What Kids Thought Was Normal.

When I'm Home, The Heart And Soul Of Our Family Is In The Kitchen. Growing Up, My Parents Both Worked, So Dinnertime Was For Family - The Tv Was Off. I Think It's Important To Grab That Time And Really Make It Special, Even After A Tough Day.

We Incorporated New Tastes And Flavors Into Our Kids' Diets From A Very Early Age, Which Helped To Develop Their Palates And Prevented Them From Becoming Picky Eaters. We Don't Buy Junk Food And Give Them Options Of Fresh Fruit, Yogurt, Raw Almonds, Or Dried Whole Grain Cereals For Snack Time.

When I Was Growing Up In Mississippi - It Was Good Southern Food... But I Also Grew Up With A Greek Family; When Other Kids Were Eating Fried Okra, We Were Eating Steamed Artichokes. So I Think It Played A Big Part In My Healthy Cooking.