“Even when a person has all of life's comforts - good food, good shelte...” — Dalai Lama Quote

Even when a person has all of life's comforts - good food, good shelter, a companion - he or she can still become unhappy when encountering a tragic situation.

I describe myself as a simple Buddhist monk. No more, no less.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

The key to transforming our hearts and minds is to have an understanding of how our thoughts and emotions work.

I wear a pedometer, aiming for five miles a day - don't be too impressed; that includes walking around my house and food shopping.

Food trends have been around as long as people have had the ability to choose between different things to eat, but the modern, interconnected media has made food trends a viral phenomenon. Once upon a time, it was just a few newspapers and a few select gourmet magazines that were writing about food. Today, it's every single publication.

Kolkata is a great city, has great food and great people. We had some problems finding the kind of old buildings we were looking for, and even handling the crowds, but on the whole it was fun shooting there.

First and foremost I am a chef, whether behind the stove at one of my Northern California restaurants or for the past 15 years in front of the camera on my Food Network cooking shows. Creating new dishes and flavor combinations that bring cooks and our restaurant guests pleasure is my job and I love it.