Emeril Lagasse

Emeril Lagasse

25 quotes

Born in 1959, American celebrity chef and restaurateur Emeril Lagasse built a reputation that extends far beyond any single accomplishment. Beyond his mastery of Creole and Cajun cuisine and his self-developed "New New Orleans" style, Emeril Lagasse proved equally skilled at capturing ideas in a sentence or two. Discover 34 of Emeril Lagasse's most memorable quotes, ranging across Food, Mom, Family, Morning, and Learning. One quote that captures their voice: "I came here because the city has a tradition and is a very respected food city."

“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.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Home

All Quotes by Emeril Lagasse

“Mom ran the house, so we grew up Portuguese.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Mom

“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.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Education

“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.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Food

“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?”

— Emeril Lagasse

Change

“I spent a lot of time on farms when I was young. My uncle and my dad owned a big farm.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Dad

“If somebody has a chance to put my food in their mouth, that tells the story.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Food

“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.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Food

“My Food Network shows, 'Emeril Live' and 'Essence of Emeril,' are not in production right now, but I wouldn't say that I'm necessarily leaving Food Network. I have a lot of television still in me. I enjoy teaching people, so it's just a matter of time before I do something new.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Food

“My inspiration was my mom. She's a great cook, and she still cooks, and we still banter back and forth about cooking. Growing up in a mostly Portuguese community, food was important and the family table was extremely important. At a very young age I understood that.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Age

“My philosophy from day one is that I can sleep better at night if I can improve an individual's knowledge about food and wine, and do it on a daily basis.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Food

“The cool thing is that now that people have made this evolution where cooking is cool, people are doing it on weekends, they're doing their own challenges. It's back to cooking. And it's real cooking.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Cool

“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.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Home

“I'm working harder than ever now, and I'm putting on my pants the same as I always have. I just get up every day and try to do a little better than the day before, and that is to run a great restaurant with great food, great wine, and great service. That's my philosophy.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Food

“You go to a restaurant in the States and kids have these game boards at the table. You don't see that in Italy or Spain. It's not because they can't afford to buy them, it's because that's not what eating together as a family is about.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Family

“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?”

— Emeril Lagasse

Food

“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.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Family

“I started cooking when I was about 10. I have memories like when I was 6 or 7 with my mom, and when I was 12 I started getting real serious about cooking.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Mom

“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.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Future

“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.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Food

“I've always done food that can work in a set time frame. The message I'm trying to get across is, it doesn't have to take three days to do this. With planning, you can do a lot and really have quality food every day.”

— Emeril Lagasse

Food