Mario Batali

hey ben i would say it is premature to feel you have had bad timing in life so far the whole key to the gig is ultimate optimism if life gives you sweetbreads, make ris de veau in meli melo... if you know what i mean before anything read all of elizabethdavid, waverly root, leibling, pellegrino, artusi and jeffrey steingarten and discuss it with your friends, family and teachers then, the first step is to surpass the us labor code for children working i am pretty sure you have to be 16 to have a real paying job outside of agriculture, but who needs pay... 2nd (and this is very crucial... you need to find a truly great one, of which there at least 20 in chicago)find the best restaurant near your house (say topolobampo in chi town) and write the chef a letter saying that you are fully insured, will indemnify the restaurant for personal injury and offer to work 1 day a week, say saturday daytime... for free!!! from the inside it is easier to see if you really love it as much as you think... it is long hard hours, and no one will offer you a tv show, ever///// once you love it, be sure you are getting at least a 3.5 in school and ask for another free work day.....maybe 2 times a month this will get your feet wet and possibly set you up for a paying job when you have the time later in high school... now here is the hardest pill to swallow..... then you have to apply and get into a college... no matter how obvious your career choice seems now you may want to proceed otherwise later in life, so you need to get a higher education... it does not matter so much what you study, but to go to and graduate college!!!! it is key in the development of problem solving strategy for all life in general i studied spanish theater of the golden age.. a real career move!!?? anyway work at the best restaurant near your college throughout the 4 years and then go to work at the best one you can find and start at any level they will have you... at this point you will be 22 and have 4 - 6 years experience in good restaurants, have a college education and have your pick of jobs in the world of food... not the super fast track.. but a great position to be in at a very young age compared to the rest of the salty dawgs in the kitchens you will be slaving in cooking schools??? you will not need them at this point, you will be a cook good luck and call me when you are ready for more tips mb

hey chris how is la????? i would love to do a show with just the hearts (not the soles...) of game birds or wild game......... or see what someone could do with hops, or maybe just the feet.... nothing is too wild for me except durian mb

hey t the guests were chosen by myself and my producer and were predominantly members of my staff at the restos and a few friends... we are not taping any more of molto as of now, but keep calling the food net and we will see what happens mb

yes you can wear shorts!!!! a perfect burger needs to have started out with enough fat to render out while leaving its greasy fat flavor in the moist hot meat, i like 25 % fta in the ground chuck i like for burgers ... it should either be chargrilled, broiled, or cooked on a flat griddle and turned only once to get maximum char on the first cook side... it shouldbe seasoned aggressively on the way to the heat source on both sides and should be served on a bun that respects the balance of meat to bread ratio... it should go to the edge, but not much further and the bun should not be over whelmed by the meat.. it is a sandwich after all.... condiments should all be offered on the side unless you have a special sauce to sneak on there... my faves in nyc are at corner bistro, peter luger and the turkey burger at blue ribbon mb

hey ann there never was a clear moment of eye opening stuff, it just seemd to me that i loved cooking more than what i was studying even back at stuff yer face pizzeria... i could still become a pool boy if i play mycards right mb

hey js just let it keep cooking... you need a very thick bottomed pan for this step to work, eventually the fat will render and start to almost fry the meat.... after the juices have evaporated,,, this could take an hour over low heat perservere!!!!!! mb

my first book has a good recipe.... simple italian cooking boar available at dartagnan mb

fried oysters at pearl tacos al pator at dos caminos sauteed calamari and marrow bones at blue ribbon roast chicken for two at balthazar raw scallops with uni and mustard oil at union pacific hanger steak at les halles pontormo at beppe shortribs on sugar cane at bao 111 poached eggs on sweet potato hash with green chili hollandaise at mesa grill kumquat mojito at spice market falafel crusted salmon at aqua grill falafel at rainbow hamachi with jalapeno and toro tartare at nobu slice with fresh mozzarella at joes on bleecker and i am sorry to say but i am booked for new business into 2008, so no go on patsy's partnership mb

hey the strozzapreti i know are rough twisties of fresh pasta sauced with a rustic ragu of pork or sausage in the romagna region and they are my faves mb

tonite i would start with the salumi, then the spaghetti alla chitarra with chilis and bottarga, then the squab, then a taste of taleggio, the the cherry crostata mb

it was to cook on the fly for my hungry kids... they have a problem with parsley, i do not mb

mexico, morocco, india, chile, brazil, japan, thailand, soviet georgia, croatia and i could keep on going the trick is that the italians also do such a great job on design and marketing and make it easy to come visit or spend on ITALIA without probs mb

no story and no truth to it, i have heard it too and have consistantly diregarded it to no obvious damage mb

besy case san marzano canned and grown in italy, second choice pomi... parmalat great and available every where, third choice, california grown "italian plum tomatoes" which you may have to doctor up with a pinch of sugar or a teaspoon of wine vinegar to kick up the sweet/acid mb

elizabeth david, waverly root aj leibling, angelo pellegrino, artusi, alice waters, paula wolfert, faith willinger, tony bourdain just this month keep on keepin on mb