Damaris Phillips

I love Seattle. I lived out in Seattle for a while, and the food there is so phenomenal. It's so fresh and gorgeous, and just beautiful and simple. I really love that place.

I like to create events where people are going to make memories, and that always starts and ends with food in my life.

FoodSaver containers extend the life of my food so I can have fresh food ready all week long.

When anybody is just starting the process of cooking, I always say it takes practice, and nobody got to be a great cook on their first try.

I don't think it exists anymore where you have to be a vegetarian or meat-eater. There's this beautiful gray area that we're all living in now; it just takes some exposure to the different ways to do it.

I try not to focus on taking things away; I try to add in nutrient-rich foods into the things I eat. I don't say, 'I'm going to take out the fat.' I say, 'What can I add in to make my muscles work more? What can I add into this that will give me the vitamins I need?' It feels luxurious!

Cooking is one of those things that is universal to people. And any time you can teach somebody a way to connect with all people, there's so much joy in it. And it is always going to be exciting.

Finding exciting ways to use leftovers is what we all struggle with. There's one simple thing that you can do to transform them: Stock your pantry.

My journey was never hard; it just happened. From the second I held a knife, from the second I was in culinary school, it's all felt too good to be true. 'This cannot be my job, my life. Somebody has to be kidding with me!'

I was going to be a writer, and that turned into journalist. And then that turned into a career in children's literature, which turned into early childhood education, which turned into psychology, which turned into premed, which turned into nursing school, which turned into communication, which turned into marketing and advertising.

Meatloaf was a pretty big part of our family, and the meatloaf sandwiches were even more.

I loved the minute I realized I was good at cooking. Like, I had a moment - I made a roasted chicken, and I remember watching people's faces as they ate it, and I thought at that time, 'Oh, I am good at this.'