A good meal must be as harmonious as a symphony and as well-constructed as a Norman cathedral.

If he is thin, I will probably dine poorly. If he is both thin and sad, the only hope is in flight.

There are many people who claim to be good cooks; just as there are many people who, after having repainted the garden gate take themselves to be painters.

Every morning the cuisinier must start again at zero, with nothing on the stove. That is what real cuisine is all about.

A good apprentice cook must be as polite with the dishwasher as with the chef.

Cooking is for capturing the taste of the food and then enhancing it, as a composer may take a theme and then delight us with his variations.

The duty of a good Cuisinier is to transmit to the next generation everything he has learned and experienced.

As far as cuisine is concerned one must read everything, see everything, hear everything, try everything, observe everything, in order to retain in the end, just a little bit.

A Bearnaise sauce is simply an egg yolk, a shallot, a little tarragon vinegar, and butter, but it takes years of practice for the result to be perfect.

Cuisine is not invariable like a Codex formula. But one must guard against tampering with the essential bases.