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" I think that for me, growing up, my dad was in the Navy; we went all over the world. I love things the weirder the better. The idea I could eat things like snails or frogs legs or things like that was mind-blowingly cool. "

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" I really see food as subjective. It's a creative outlet. It's something that you do for fun. It's a gray area. It's not black and white or right and wrong. "

Graham Elliot

Food

Fun

Black And White

" I think that people are getting really excited about different ethnic food, and almost even micro-ethnic food. So it's not just, 'I love Asian,' it's Szechuan or Hunan, this one style from China. "

" Dining should be something that isn't always taken extremely seriously. "

" I played the guitar and thought that was what I was going to do as a career. I still record music that is played in my restaurants. "

" I can't just sit all day on the couch and expect the weight to come off. My goals are my new focus instead of food. "

" Kids see cooking as a creative outlet now, like soccer and ballet. It gives me hope that things like fast food, childhood obesity and the horrible state of school lunches can be addressed by kids and their parents. "

" I think the big things for me are trying to keep running and staying active, but not forcing to do one hour or five miles but really going out and doing it until you feel good. "

Graham Elliot

Feel Good

Doing

" Food to me, in one word, is 'creativity' or 'expression.' It's simply, 'This is who I am at this point in time, and this is what I want to cook for you.' "

" I've traveled all over. I've been to all 50 states. With my dad in the Navy, I lived in the Philippines from nine to 12, and I had dog, monkey, lizard, everything. Then I was in Hawaii, and I'm spear-fishing, catching octopus with my hands. "

" I only wear red socks in the kitchen. They bring me luck. "

Graham Elliot

Kitchen

Bring

" Even though I live in and love Chicago, I can't stand deep-dish pizza. I'm a New York-style pizza person. "

" Chicago's always been known as this meat and potatoes place, and a lot of restaurants play that up. They try to outdo each other by adding another 10 ounces, so their 80 ounce steak becomes a 90 ounce steak with 10 pounds of mashed potatoes on the side. "

" I think that baseball as a whole, I am a huge romantic when it comes to the history and the stats and the numbers the stories behind it, so I would consider myself a pretty big fan. "

" Kosher salt, eggs and flour. These are the building blocks of everything. Kosher salt, above and beyond everything. "

" I'm in love with 'pure' flavors, things that are natural and delicious, minimally fussed with, that showcase the season. "

" I don't get to watch a lot of TV. I just do all my news and reading and 'Meet the Press,' all that fun, exciting stuff. "

" Gray means being open-minded. I always look at the world that way; I'm able to hear both sides of an argument. I don't listen to opera, but I don't think it's good or bad; it's just its own thing. I can completely appreciate it. "

" I think what somebody orders and how they eat and cook really shows who they are. "

" I tried to start my own religion in high school. I was very eccentric. I've always loved attention. "

" I'm inspired by artists who use a limited palette, like painter Piet Mondrian, and the White Stripes, two musicians who create an incredible sound. Our food is starting to go back to a 'less is more' style. "

" I do take pity on some of the people that have to work with me. "

Graham Elliot

People

Take

" Weight is something I've battled all my life. "

" Barbecue is the good old technique of people making a fire and putting some stuff over the top - I mean, look at the S'more: it's just got a stick. A lot of those goofy toys, it's people who are looking at things to do. I think if you focus on the food, at the most you need tongs or a spoon to flip something; that's about it. "

" I'm a traditionalist, so for me, black coffee is cool. "

Graham Elliot

Black Coffee

Coffee

" I have two bookcases that used to be filled with cookbooks, but now it's mostly books about politics and government. I might just give this all up and run for office. "

" You are defined by your ingredients, by the way you touch them, by the flavors you draw from them. "

" Any time you can involve fake mustaches, things are just better. "

" I'd love to open a restaurant that changes every month. One month it would be a mom and bar spaghetti-and-meatball, Red Sox place, and the next it would be a British pub, and everyone gets in a fight. "