After guest appearances, I got the offer to do the show as the successor of Arthur Schwartz. It's so much fun.
Rocco DiSpirito

As a restaurateur, my job is to basically control the chaos and the drama. There's always going to be chaos in the restaurant business.
Rocco DiSpirito

At times, it was an incredible blessing to have all the attention; at times it was a logistical nightmare.
Rocco DiSpirito

Be curious, learn and read as much as you can about food. Don't worry about making money. Focus on learning at various venues before you settle down for a steady position.
Rocco DiSpirito

Flavor Five is a book with recipes using five ingredients to possibly be cooked in just five minutes. It will be very user-friendly for the home cook on the run.
Rocco DiSpirito

I came literally to the table with a wealth of knowledge by simply understanding how food should taste.
Rocco DiSpirito

I can now focus on a huge audience through TV, books, cookware and foods.
Rocco DiSpirito

I definitely think there was some overacting on the part of the customers and the wait staff. The people who came in during the shooting were clearly there to have a moment on television, and that's fine.
Rocco DiSpirito

I wanted to share my life story and honor my roots. I am very proud of my family and mother.
Rocco DiSpirito

I was on the show previously as a guest host, so I had a little practice.
Rocco DiSpirito

I was pleasantly surprised after the book came out. It was like, hey, the home team put down a nice score.
Rocco DiSpirito

In all my work I like to convey the fact that I like cooks, that it's noble toil and that it is hard.
Rocco DiSpirito

It is important to experiment and endlessly seek after creating the best possible flavors when preparing foods. That means not being afraid to experiment with various ingredients.
Rocco DiSpirito

It's a very, very difficult space to operate in, the restaurant business-it requires a lot of human beings to intersect at just the right place to make it all work out.
Rocco DiSpirito

Just over 800 people were gathered around the cooking stage, all eager to learn about my five-minute flavor cooking. The demonstration had to be done right then and there, in front of everyone.
Rocco DiSpirito

Mama is slowly getting better. So many people are so fond of her.
Rocco DiSpirito

Talking up a storm about food is so easy for me, it's second nature.
Rocco DiSpirito

The 1,000 tasting portions were to be served over a period of six hours, starting at noon, so we would have to prep those another way, to keep them as fresh as possible.
Rocco DiSpirito

There are many great wine producers from all over the world making fantastic wines. Italian wines especially are making an enormous comeback after sometimes being labeled as inexpensive jug wines.
Rocco DiSpirito

There really is a camaraderie among chefs and a willingness to help out whenever we can.
Rocco DiSpirito