"Part of my job as a food writer is to describe food. So my work on 'Top Chef,' I feel, is an extension of that. When we give a criticism to the contestant, we want to make sure we tell them why it's not working and why it would work if they did it a different way."

"One thing that happens when you're pregnant is that as your stomach starts to stretch. It itches! So I have to keep my belly really lubricated. Every morning, there's a buttering ceremony after I get out of the shower. It's really like basting a turkey with body butter."

"You don't want your jewelry to make you look fat. A lot of what's out there now does - you just wind up looking like a Christmas tree."

"I really like to sometimes go into food detox and eat very simply."

"To love deeply is to give someone the power to heal what words cannot reach — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"At the end of the day, sleep is a barometer of your emotional health. And so if you're not in the right place where you need to be, then you're going to have voices keeping you up at night because you have to work through those issues."

"A visionary sees the unseen and knows kindness can heal wounds that time cannot."

"Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment."