 What's the most romantic thing John has ever done for you? |
| —Vickie Hackney, Orlando, FL |
 There are a thousand answers to that question, from making me dinner to spending an entire week collecting every film ever made by my favorite director, Pedro Almódovar, to writing me songs. He's full of good surprises. |
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| What dish do you love to eat but hate to prepare? |
| —Sandra Kafka, Arcadia, CA |
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| Sushi and sashimi. I leave it to my favorite sushi chef, Ken Oringer (of Uni, in Boston, 617-536-7200). |
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Jim Wright |
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| What's the most beloved, well-used cookbook in your collection? |
| —Emily Kelleher, Boston, MA |
| Those by Marcella
Hazan. |
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| Have you ever been starstruck? |
| —Arnel Tingley, Bullhead City, AZ |
| I'm starstruck all the time. But it's fun to find out that celebrities are people like the rest of us. |
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| I've noticed you don't wear an apron. Do you use one at home? |
| —Linda Mitchell, Albuquerque, NM |
| I'm too short for an apron—my legs get
wound up in it! |
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| Who do you look up to in the food industry? |
| —Melanie Green, Wharton, WV |
| My mom, who's been in the restaurant business for 40 years, is the number-one influence in my life. But I look up to a lot of people in the industry. Tops on my list is Mario Batali. My mom and Mario taught me the same lesson: Food is love. |
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| When you were a kid, did you get in trouble for talking in class? |
| —Taylor, age 11, Okinawa, Japan |
| I don't think so. I went to a pretty laid-back school. |
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