ABOUT THIS COOK:

• What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
  The mushroom cousin huitlecoche (that's Aztec for corn smut). It was delicious.

• What do you cook when home alone?
  Second-day braises, soups, legumes. Eggs. Try out new recipes.

• Your most treasured kitchen possession:
  My Wusthof knives. I don't let anyone else use them because it alters the edge.

• The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
  10 tops