Becoming the first Indian woman to compete on Food Network's 'Iron Chef' and 'Next Iron Chef' was really a great accomplishment and led to my spot as a judge on 'Chopped.'
In 1981, we opened Felidia, and the newspapers, the city papers, the big timers came, and I got invited on the 'Today Show' and so on. A lot of food luminaries would come to Felidia - Julia Child, James Beard, they all came.
The opportunity to be a star chef, to imagine it would be here in Las Vegas, I couldn't comprehend it.
'The Food Network' was just starting in New York, and I was getting lots of attention from Mesa Grill. They had no money, so if you couldn't get there by subway, you couldn't be on. It wasn't like TV was something I really wanted to do - but I knew it would be great publicity for my restaurants.
I'm the ghetto Martha Stewart, the black Rachel Ray.
'Man v. Food' was the biggest career-defining opportunity. I went from anonymity to someone of note with access to amazing eateries.
I'm a big fan of doing 'Triple D.' But I don't want to do it forever, don't get me wrong! Travel away from my family, are you crazy? But do you know what it does for these mom-and-pop restaurant joints? It changes their lives forever. I mean, their businesses will never be the same.
In 1990 at Harveys, when I was 28 years old, I became the youngest chef to win two Michelin stars. It was a huge achievement.
We're probably close to reaching 2,000 shows, which is more than Julia Child and Jacques Pepin together.
When I was in Japan, everyone wanted to work for Pierre Gagnaire, and they wouldn't miss a beat.
We now have a generation of people who in many cases feel that if they become chefs, they'll get a TV show. They have a signature haircut, a year into the business, or a branding arrangement with a shoe company. I don't really relate to that. I guess this is the world we live in now.
I never knew I would go this far, but I was told by people it wouldn't happen, and now I own four restaurants, and I have one of the best shows on the Food Network. I'm living in the Super Bowl of food.
My tortured life - with its extremes and conflicts - might have been difficult for me to deal with, but the press couldn't get enough of it. I was in the papers every day, 'the enfant terrible of the culinary world.'
When you have a chef that wants to be in the spotlight, maybe after one or two appearances on a show, they think they're at a certain level that they haven't reached yet in the kitchen. Shows like 'Top Chef', 'Hell's Kitchen' have helped bring attention to the culinary world.
Being branded number one restaurant in the world is actually very humbling.
It's wild how chefs have become like rock stars.
This kitchen is completely calm. Some of the old-fashioned chefs - they become kings in their kitchen, they've got to be called chef. But I don't care if someone calls me chef or Heston, it really doesn't bother me.
I'm kind of fascinated by Paula Deen. I've been to her restaurant, The Lady and Sons, in Savannah. My friend was studying in the area, and we ate at her restaurant, and it was right at the cusp where Paula Deen became Paula Deen.
I am happy for them all: Angela Hartnett, Jason Atherton, Marcus Wareing, Mark Sargeant.
I think that 'celebrity' and 'chef' should be a permanent oxymoron.
