Michael Lippman

Jean Georges Vongerichten: "Follow your cravings."

Steve Raichlen (barbecue maven, TV personality), when asked about beef versus pork in the barbecue world:  "I don't know, that's like missionary versus gal on top, it's a preference thing."  So then I asked "which is missionary and which is gal on top?"  He paused and said, "Good question."

Richard Betts (winemaker, sommelier at The Little Nell):  "It's not about the specific wine, it's about the specific people you drink it with."

Daniel Johnnes (wine director for Daniel Boulud's restaurant group) on the '85 Jobard Mersault Charmes he opened for a group of chefs including Jean Georges and David Chang: "I was a little nervous, you never know what's going to be inside the bottle.  But from the first whiff I knew it was spectacular.  It felt good to share it with those guys."

Lettie Teague (executive wine editor of Food & Wine) and Alder Yarrow (of vinography.com):  "You have to make a commitment to wine.  It takes work.  It's like learning French."

David Chang (chef/owner of the Momofuku restaurants in NY):  "All our signature dishes came about as a result of major fuck-ups."

Wylie Dufresne (chef/owner of wd50 in NY):  "We're trying to deliver something familiar in a new way, or something new in a familiar way."

Jose Andres (chef Cafe Atlantico, minibar, in D.C.): "Tomatoes have feelings too."

Bobby Flay:  "I look at a map of the US and I don't see cities and states, I see ingredients."

Tom Colicchio (of Craft and Top Chef) on his upcoming food demo:  "It's not really about the dishes, it's about the thought process."

David Myers (chef/owner Sona and Comme Ca, Los Angeles): "Tokyo is the best food city in the world right now."

Dan Phillips (owner of The Grateful Palate):  "Tokyo is the best food city in the world right now."

Michael Psilakis (chef at Anthos in NY, one of the Food & Wine Best New Chefs) when asked about people -- like me -- who love souvlaki and Greek salad and taramasalada:  "You are exactly what we've had to battle."

Giuseppe Tentori (chef at Boka in Chicago, one of the Food & Wine Best New Chefs) when asked about his Italian background and how it fits into his restaurant:  "We serve NO Italian food"

Jeremy Fox (chef at Ubuntu, a vegetarian restaurant in Napa, one of the Food & Wine Best New Chefs):  "Vegetarian food has historically involved too few vegetables."

Richard Betts:  "Drinking wine is about sticking your nose in a glass and taking a trip."

Ray Isle (deputy wine editor at Food & Wine):  "It's weird to write about wine -- you use all these descriptive words and you wonder if anyone ever gets any sense of what anything actually tastes like."

Lisa Shotland (agent to many top chefs) quoting VP of Starbuck's:  "I'm not interested in branding, I'm interested in narrative and story."

Michael Bonadies (president and CEO of 21C Museum Hotels):  "The story sells the wine."

Peter Kasperski (Scottsdale, Arizona restaurateur): "Good wine and good food just go good together."

Dan Phillips: "Raw food and big red wine is a great combination."

David Chang, several times on Sunday morning:  “Sorry, guys, I'm really hung over.”

Note:  If you were there, please feel free to add memorable quotes in Comments.