Johnny Iuzzini Quotes:
The biggest fear in my life is being mediocre.
Johnny Iuzzini
At one point, in one of the kitchens where I worked, I was the only American pastry cook. They treated me poorly. ‘You’re stupid. You’re American. You don’t get it.’ They’d speak French all day. At one point, my boss said to me, ‘You learn French or get out right away.’
Johnny Iuzzini
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
Both my parents worked. So it wasn’t like the previous generation where we learned how to cook and bake from our mothers and grandmothers.
Johnny Iuzzini
I am a sugar freak.
Johnny Iuzzini
I eat to survive, you know?
Johnny Iuzzini
I can’t even kill a lobster without saying a Hail Mary for it.
Johnny Iuzzini
Desserts are last, but don’t let them be least.
Johnny Iuzzini
I want to do more TV and more books. I want to have my hand in different projects. I’m way too hyper; I’m just one of those people who has to have a lot going on.
Johnny Iuzzini
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
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
My dad said, ‘If you want to go out with girls and go out with your friends, get a job.’ I found one at the local country club as a pot washer in the kitchen.
Johnny Iuzzini
When I was growing up, chocolate milk was a treat, and the chocolate milk that ended up in a bowl of Cocoa Puffs when I had those for breakfast was the biggest treat of all.
Johnny Iuzzini
I drink at least a couple of espressos every day and love the flavor of coffee.
Johnny Iuzzini
TV has taken a crazy turn, especially in the industry of food, where everything is either a competition show or a sort of reality show. We’ve lost the kind of shows that are, like, ‘Here’s how you do this,’ like the old Julia Child shows.
Johnny Iuzzini
Baking is about multi-tasking. If you are organized and prepared, that’s half the battle.
Johnny Iuzzini
Plain sugar cookies, no matter how well they are made, are a bit boring to me.
Johnny Iuzzini
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
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
Chocolate is the go-to ingredient for many people. It is the thing people crave when they are happy and celebrate; it is also the go-to ingredient for many people when we are sad or depressed. It makes us feel better.
Johnny Iuzzini
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
I am not a shock jock pastry chef. I don’t create desserts using strange ingredients just for the sake of doing so, like so many of my colleagues in the industry.
Johnny Iuzzini