with a bit of vinegar. That’s it. They
have these special tomatoes that you
only get here. They are extremely
hard, half green, half red, so you think
they are not ripe, but they actually are
ripe. Almost no liquid at all comes out
of these tomatoes. They’re skin and
the flesh of the tomato—that’s it. They
just chop that up, put in some onions,
which have been sautéed not even two
seconds, and then some vinegar on top
of that. It was delicious. Incredible.
There are some combinations that you
don’t think about initially, but go so
well together. That’s the fun of it.
to a certain region and you buy two
wines, one from one vineyard and
the other from the estate next door,
they can taste so different. It all comes
down to the way they treat the plant,
the respect they give the plant, the
way they follow the process from the
roots to the growing of the grapes. If
they treat them properly, and respect
the way they do it, you get a great
wine. You can see two wines, grown
only a little distance apart from two
estates, one next to the other, and
there will be a different world of taste.
This is the good thing. This is what
amazes me. The same grape, from the
same place, from the same sunlight,
can give you so many different
tastes. Just the way you prepare it.
I’ll enjoy a good beer, but I won’t touch a Budweiser. “ ”
slice of bread: they’ll put some Swiss
chard or spinach on it with a bit of
oil. That’s it. That’s your appetizer.
It’s incredible. Or: just a piece of
fish with a bit of lemon and cracked
pepper. If the fish is cooked well, and
the fish is fresh, you don’t need more.
You want to taste the fish. Not that
creamy whatever they put on top of it.
I love how you can taste the actual
ingredients. The freshness and the
quality make it good, and that’s
what I’m looking for in cooking.
Something fresh, something good.
There is actually a specific taste
there, and you know what you’re
eating. It’s not like a sauce with 35
ingredients where it tastes good, but
I cannot tell what is in there. Italians
are mainly cooking like this where
most things are simple: three, four
ingredients, not more than that. It’s
all about quality and freshness. Like a
You are also a big lover of wines.
What stands out to you? I’m trying
different stuff. I love a good, bold
white. Real fruity. I’ve tried wine in a
lot of different places. At the moment
I’ve got a 1982 Bordeaux waiting
to be opened, so I’m going to enjoy
that pretty soon. I like to try different
regions, different mixes, but something
funky. There is a wine I found here
in Spain—it’s from Castilla y León.
The vine grows on granite, so they
grow in a harsh, terrible environment.
That wine … you should taste it.
It’s got something marvelous. They
pay attention to the vines; they pay
attention to the details.
That’s the one thing you can see from
wine—attention to detail. If you go
I enjoy a good glass of wine. It’s casual.
You do it with friends. You share.
You socialize. Belgium is the same. I
enjoy the good beers there. There are
some incredible beers there. It’s just
a matter of flavor. I’ll enjoy a good
beer, but I won’t touch a Budweiser.
I figure, you might as well get a good
one, enjoy the taste and the flavors,
rather than drink 20 Budweisers ….
