The biggest fear in my life is being mediocre. Johnny Iuzzini More Quotes by Johnny Iuzzini More Quotes From Johnny Iuzzini Every few years, I change my look for the simple reason that I get bored. If you Google Image me, you will see so many different looks: long hair, short hair, clean shaven, beard, etc. Johnny Iuzzini meyouchangesimple The true mark of professionalism is the ability to respect everyone else for their styles and always find something positive in every dining experience and highlight it in your thoughts and words. Johnny Iuzzini thoughtsrespectexperiencepositive If you take everything personally and to heart, it will tear you apart. Take criticism, learn, adjust, and move on. Johnny Iuzzini willyoucriticismheart I didn't come from a wealthy family. My dad told us if we wanted spending money, we had to earn it. So I developed an early work ethic. Johnny Iuzzini dadfamilymoneywork Whenever a chef cooks for his own ego rather than his guests, he/she set themselves up for ridicule and failure. In the end, it's the service industry. Our goal is to make our guests happy through our cooking. Johnny Iuzzini servicefailurecookinghappy Adding salt to desserts helps to balance and pronounce flavors. Almost all of my desserts have salt in them. They don't taste salty per se, but if I gave you two of the same item - one with salt and one without - side by side, you would realize something was missing. Johnny Iuzzini realizeyoubalancemissing Part of what makes a great chef is the ability to adapt, cook, and to taste. A great chef will use all their food knowledge, food memories, and senses to work with each ingredient and apply themselves to the dish they are creating. Johnny Iuzzini workfoodmemoriesknowledge Baking is about multi-tasking. If you are organized and prepared, that's half the battle. Johnny Iuzzini youbakingbattlehalf As chefs, especially pastry chefs, your creativity plays such an important part in your daily work. We truly do have a blank canvas to work with every time we create a new dish. Johnny Iuzzini dailycreativityworktime I fell in love with pastry because I felt I could be much more creative. It's precise, and you don't have to kill anything. Johnny Iuzzini moreyoucreativelove Chocolate is one of the backbones of the pastry kitchen. It is one of the most important ingredients in our pantry. It is very versatile, it is complex, and it is extremely temperamental. Johnny Iuzzini pastrykitchenchocolateimportant Cooking is about imbibing different cultures and putting them in a plate on the table. Johnny Iuzzini tableaboutdifferentcooking Desserts are last, but don't let them be least. Johnny Iuzzini dessertsleastthemlast My mom was a rescue veterinarian, and I grew up helping her nurse injured animals back to health. Any deer hit by a car, fox caught in a trap, whatever it was that got hurt, everyone brought them to my mom. Johnny Iuzzini carhealthmomhurt A savory chef must first master his knife skills and understand the basics of sauces and soups, etc., before he/she may move on to become a great chef. It is no different for pastry chefs. If you do not have a strong foundation and are a master of the basics, then you will never be that strong - you will never be a master of the trade - period. Johnny Iuzzini greatyoustrongchef Everyone has days when things can go wrong. That doesn't make you a bad pastry chef - that makes you human. Johnny Iuzzini everyonebadyouchef I have pictures of me feeding deer and possums with baby bottles. I am such an animal lover. Johnny Iuzzini picturesi-ammeanimal A pastry chef's lifespan in a restaurant is limited. You have to open a bakery or pastry shop. There's only so far you can go in a restaurant. Johnny Iuzzini restaurantgoyouchef First and foremost, food needs to be delicious. It should pop and explode with flavor. Food should please all the senses. Johnny Iuzzini firstdeliciousflavorfood I dislike cloyingly sweet desserts - sweet is not a flavor - so I suggest dialing back the sweetness and focusing on what the dessert is about, whether it is a ripe fruit, chocolate, etc. Johnny Iuzzini backfruitchocolatesweet
