Essentially, wines are fermented grape juice, so I’m trying to make the point that the wine world is about scores and marketing and kind of creating a scarce resource where they don’t really exist. Joe Bastianich Read Quote
Selling wine is all about sizing people up, and it takes a certain amount of chutzpah. The tableside bottle sell is a very funny thing – you take a look at the guy’s blazer, what kind of shoes he’s wearing, what kind of broad he’s with. Is he trying to be a hero? Joe Bastianich Read Quote
I was raised in restaurants. My parents opened their first restaurant, Buonavia, in Queens when I was just 3. This business has always been my way of life. As a kid, home was reserved only for sleeping. After school, you could find my sister and I helping out at the family restaurant. Joe Bastianich Read Quote
Finding specialty food items was a bit of a challenge in Asia in the early days of getting the Mozza’s up and running. Everything is built on relationships, and when you start somewhere new, it takes time to develop that. Staffing can also present challenges. Joe Bastianich Read Quote
Being frugal, conscious of making money, is not a negative thing. That sensibility of creating value and finding value and reinvesting in those customers is what separates great restaurants from the average ones. Joe Bastianich Read Quote
Carbs – especially pasta – are the fuel my body needs to maintain an athletic lifestyle. Joe Bastianich Read Quote
I eat a lot of whole grains for breakfast, a lot of dried fruit. And my big thing is pasta. I do a lot of simple pasta, with great ingredients. Joe Bastianich Read Quote
Take the time to shop for yourself and cook. All of this is an investment in yourself, and if you’re not going to invest time and money in what you put in your body, then what are you going to spend money on? It’s kind of the most important thing. Joe Bastianich Read Quote
You can enjoy a $15 bottle of wine as much as you can enjoy a $100 bottle of wine. Joe Bastianich Read Quote
