Tom Colicchio quotes

This is what people don't understand: obesity is a symptom of poverty. It's not a lifestyle choice where people are just eating and not exercising. It's because kids - and this is the problem with school lunch right now - are getting sugar, fat, empty calories - lots of calories - but no nutrition. (Tom Colicchio)
I think steak is the ultimate comfort food, and if you're going out for one, that isn't the time to scrimp on calories or quality. View quote
Tom Colicchio
Chef' doesn't mean that you're the best cook, it simply means 'boss. View quote
Tom Colicchio
You have to know the classics if you want to cook modern food. View quote
Tom Colicchio
Recipes tell you nothing. Learning techniques is the key. View quote
Tom Colicchio
Asian food is very easy to like because it hits your mouth very differently than European food does. In European food, there may be two things to hit - maybe sweet and salty, maybe salty-savory, but Asian kind of works around, plus you have that distinct flavor that's usually working in Asian food. View quote
Tom Colicchio
A couple of months ago, I was down in Florida for the Food and Wine Festival. And this journalist grabbed me and said, 'How does it feel to be a TV guy? You're no longer in the restaurant business.' And I laughed. I asked him, 'How long do you think it takes me to do a season?' He said, 'Well, 200 days.' And I was like, '200 days? Try 20!' View quote
Tom Colicchio
As a chef, I had started working with groups like Share Our Strength and various local food banks in New York, raising money for hunger-related issues. And not only me, but the entire restaurant industry has been very focused on this issue. View quote
Tom Colicchio
I have very good knife skills. I learned to butcher on my second job - I was 18 years old. Every other day we would break down six legs of veal. View quote
Tom Colicchio
I know nothing about hip-hop... There's only so many times you can grab your crotch and prance around stage. I'm gonna get slammed now for this. View quote
Tom Colicchio
I don't know too many parents that want to feed their kids soda, but high-fructose corn syrup is cheap. The price of soda in 20 years has gone down 40 percent while the price of whole foods, fruits and vegetables, has gone up 40 percent and obesity goes up right along that curve. (Tom Colicchio)
Men with shaved heads are always better. Just ask my wife. View quote
Tom Colicchio
Every chef should have an understanding of pastries or desserts. View quote
Tom Colicchio
Every season we try to do something new. And not for gimmicks. We feel the show has to evolve and keep changing. View quote
Tom Colicchio
When I was 26, 27 years old I was running a kitchen in New York, and I was a raving lunatic. The older you get, you figure out you don't need to do that. You realize at a certain point, there's a certain gravity to what you say and what you do. If that's not enough, all the yelling in the world is not going to matter. View quote
Tom Colicchio
I travel around and hear from so many kids. Their parents say they were always very picky but they watch the show and they want to try stuff. The show is entertainment, but I think it has done so much for the public perception of what food can be. View quote
Tom Colicchio
We're adults. We're the ones who should teach the kids what's good to eat. I don't think the government should ever regulate what we eat at home, but we're feeding them in school with tax dollars. Quite frankly, if my tax dollars are being spent to feed kids, I'd rather feed them better food. View quote
Tom Colicchio
I hate okra and grated mountain yam for the same reason. They're both slimy. View quote
Tom Colicchio
I think the most effective way to run a kitchen is to teach, not to just yell. View quote
Tom Colicchio
I get angry when I think that people are blatantly incorrect on matters of fact. View quote
Tom Colicchio
A lot of professions happen to be male-dominated because women drop out at a certain point. It's unfortunate. (Tom Colicchio)
In an ideal world for me, school lunch would be free for everybody. View quote
Tom Colicchio
My feeling is, if you're going to be called a celebrity, you might as well use it for some good. It's better to testify for school lunches in front of Congress than get drunk in a bar somewhere and misbehave. View quote
Tom Colicchio
One of the first jobs I ever had was opening clams in a seafood restaurant, so I'm pretty quick at it. View quote
Tom Colicchio
I'd like to see 'Top Chef: Amateur'. Sometimes we have an amateur chef on the show and they just can't cut it against the pros but there are some great stories there. View quote
Tom Colicchio

Tom Colicchio

Tom Colicchio - Image
Photo: David Shankbone, CC BY 2.0
Occupation: American Chef
Born: August 15, 1962
Quotes count: 37