Quotes from Nobu Matsuhisa

In my generation, there was no sushi school, no cooking school, so people have to learn from working.

Swimming keeps me fit and flexible, and it helps that I have a large pool at my house in Beverly Hills.

I cannot bring myself to wear the Nobu hats, or the Nobu T-shirts. But the chef's jacket, that is mine. And when I wear it, I am very proud of myself.

I like both potatoes and rice. You can do a lot with both of them. But if I could eat only one carbohydrate for the rest of my life, I wouldn't choose bread, potatoes or even noodles. I'd go for rice instead; I eat more of that than anything else.

I started cooking when I was 18 years old, and now I have restaurants all over the world.

Los Angeles is my home - I have my wife and two daughters growing up there.

One day, the people who work in my kitchen stir-fried chopped Napa cabbage to serve with some meat or fish for their own dinner. I got to thinking: 'What if the cabbage was the most important thing on the plate?'

When I'm home in L.A., I go to La Brea, a bakery which does artisan breads, excellent sourdoughs primarily, but also patisserie and cakes.

Many chefs are either technically or artistically better than me, but I know my food has soul.

People eat the chicken, people eat the beef, they still say, 'Don't kill the fish.'

I was a bit of a wild boy - always swimming and exploring the mountains.

I exercise every morning, no matter what. Sometimes it's tough to do right when you get off the plane, but after ten minutes you start sweating, and you always feel better.

When I set up my first restaurant, I was so inspired by Wolfgang Puck, who is also based in L.A. and is now a good friend of mine, and the way he would engage with his customers and greet them personally.

In Japan, I have my own line of dinnerware, but I'm not aggressive about pursuing those projects.

My flight time is important to me; I actually prefer a longer flight to a short one. That way I have time to read a book, watch movies, and think about new dishes.

I learned from my first restaurant: Make customers happy, make sure the customer comes back again. And automatically, success has followed me.

In the morning and the end of every day, I thank that I'm alive.

I like Mercedes because my wife has been in two big accidents and emerged without a scratch, thanks to the safety of these cars.

One of my favorite ways to use cilantro is in a beautiful clear soup with monkfish and lime. It's a great dish for cooler weather, especially because monkfish is very good in fall and winter. Also, I like the meatiness and rich texture of monkfish.

Every morning when I woke up, my mother was already in the kitchen making breakfast. It was always the same: steamed rice, pickled vegetables, grilled fish and miso soup. Each day there was something different in the soup such as tofu or potatoes.

Businesses that run well are almost like marriages. Everything has to be up for discussion, or there will be real problems.

I have a restaurant in Milan, and Paper Moon is five minutes away from my hotel, so I always go there for lunch. It's a casual place that serves good salad, pizza and pasta; the space is tight with tables close together, and it feels buzzy. Food comes out fast, too.

In Tokyo, we have more three-star Michelin restaurants than Paris.

I grew up in the countryside in Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo.