From a young age, I understood the idea of balanced flavor - the reason you put ketchup on a hamburger. I was that kid who wouldn't eat something if there was something missing. I never really understood it until I began cooking professionally, balancing acids, sweets, spicy flavors and fat.

Michael Mina

Categorized in : You Fat Age Cooking

You have to always remember who your guest is, and thats who we cater to.

Michael Mina

guests remember

Chefs become attracted to being able to get product and then clientele - those are the two things that attract you as a chef.

Michael Mina

able two chef

Guests love to be 'wowed' in Las Vegas. They enjoy and embrace new tastes, new flavors, and they come to expect the unexpected in Las Vegas.

Michael Mina

vegas flavor guests

I love San Francisco, it's very hard to compete with San Francisco when it comes to availability of product, but one thing you can't replace about Las Vegas or Miami is people are walking in the door and they want to have a good time. They walk in, and this is the start of their good time.

Michael Mina

san-francisco vegas doors

I'm passionate about pleasing people.

Michael Mina

pleasing-people passionate people

Food is all about balance; it is all about taste.

Michael Mina

balance taste

When designing a kitchen, always keep in mind the social aspect.

Michael Mina

kitchen design mind

What I've learned over the years is it's so much better to surround yourself with real talent and hire real chefs. I learned more from the chefs I have working for me than you could ever imagine. There's nothing wrong with being able to create opportunities for people, and you don't have to do everything, take credit for everything, and have all the weight be on your shoulders.

Michael Mina

real opportunity years

I believe what makes cooking in Las Vegas different from cooking in most other cities are the guests that dine with you in Las Vegas.

Michael Mina

vegas cities believe

People love steak all over the United States.

Michael Mina

steak united-states people

I don't know if you call a burger recession food. It's comfort food.

Michael Mina

burgers recessions comfort

When your parents are Middle Eastern immigrants, you have three choices. You can become a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer.

Michael Mina

doctors parent choices

Our work reiterates the true importance of preserving high levels of measles vaccine coverage as the consequences of measles infections may be much more devastating than is readily observable.

Michael Mina

health-news

Food feeds both the body and soul - there are clear reasons to eat a balanced diet, but there are also reasons you cling to your mom's secret chicken noodle soup recipe when you're sick.

Michael Mina

you mom soul food

Bringing your kids into the kitchen doesn't require you to be a top chef; only time and maybe a willingness to get a little messy.

Michael Mina

you kitchen time chef

There's always room to improve in a restaurant. A restaurant is better or worse every day than it was the day before. It's impossible not to be, because it's human.

Michael Mina

restaurant better day impossible

The part that I know I enjoy most is the restaurants. You can't do everything, you know? For me, the priority has been being deeply involved in my restaurants and figuring out different ways to make them run better.

Michael Mina

better me you enjoy

Of course you do things differently in your 30s and 40s than in your 20s.

Michael Mina

than your things you

With chefs, the problem is we have to be very confident because people are looking at us for that. So pretty soon, you think you're a plumber, you think you're an electrician, you think you're an accountant.

Michael Mina

looking think you people

I'd rather have Daniel Boulud have 20 restaurants than some restauranteur. It's going to make the food in our country better.

Michael Mina

some better food country