I interviewed Wolfgang Puck for a school project when I was 10. Now I run his kitchen at Spago.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Ari Rosenson, the vice president of nutrient and beverage for the Los Angeles and Maui operations astatine Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining. It has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

When I was successful the 5th grade, we had to constitute a curriculum vitae connected personification for school. I liked cooking and having nosy successful the kitchen, and I'd seen an article astir Wolfgang Puck. The USDA had said his stiff pizzas weren't pizzas because they didn't person herb sauce, and he was pushing back. I had nary hint who he was, but I trim retired the article and said to my mom, "I want to question and reply this feline for my schoolhouse project."

My mom said, "Well, conscionable telephone Spago," Puck's restaurant. I sewage Spago's number from 411, called, and started stuttering. My mom grabbed the telephone retired of my hands and said, "My boy would for illustration to question and reply Wolfgang Puck. Is that possible? If he can't, don't messiness pinch my son's heart. He's really interested." They said, "No, no, Wolfgang will do it."

It was a beautiful pivotal infinitesimal successful my life.

The first meeting

The time earlier my schoolhouse study was due, I was capable to spell to Spago earlier meal service. I sat down pinch Wolfgang for an hour, interviewed him pinch my small recorder, and my mom was the photographer.

At the extremity of the interview, I said, "You know, chef, I emotion cooking too." He said, "OK, travel pinch me." He was truthful gracious pinch his time, spending 2 hours pinch me. He suited maine up successful a chef's outfit and gave maine a afloat circuit of Spago. Then he asked, "What do you cook?" I said, "I'm celebrated for my omelets." He gave maine immoderate eggs, and I made him one.

He dropped maine disconnected astatine the pizza position next, and the cook showed maine how to make pizzas. I sat down and had meal pinch my mom, and past Wolfgang came backmost and brought immoderate cookbooks and signed my chef's jacket. I was a small spot precocious pinch my report, but my coach forgave me.

It was rather a formative experience.

I kept cooking. After school, I'd make pizzas for my friends. I'd return liquor from the furniture conscionable to flambé it. When I turned 14, I went to Granita successful Malibu, and Wolfgang happened to beryllium there. I walked up to him and said, "Do you retrieve me? I still for illustration cooking." He said, "OK, you travel activity for maine and go a cook astatine 1 of my restaurants."

Two years later, erstwhile I had a car, I FedExed him a missive that said, "You promised maine a job. Can I person one, please?" and included a image of america together to jog his memory. The adjacent day, his adjunct called maine and said, "You commencement adjacent Sunday." That's really I became a prep navigator astatine Spago astatine the property of 16.

A room I ne'er left

Working successful a edifice was a full caller world. You get dropped into each of these personalities and people, and they were each older than I was. Some of them would prime connected me, but a batch of them took maine nether their helping and showed maine the way. Working successful a edifice made maine turn up — I had a batch of eye-opening, awesome life experiences.

I worked astatine Spago connected the weekends during the schoolhouse year. When I turned 18, I told my parents, "I don't deliberation I'm going to spell to assemblage aliases cooking school. I'm conscionable going to do this." They weren't excessively into that idea, but I saw kids doing their internships astatine Spago, and I was up of them. I figured I'd amended myself and find ways to capable successful the gaps.

I worked my measurement done the statement until I became a sous chef, past executive sous chef. I took a three-month sabbatical, walking successful Italy and cooking successful Alba during truffle season. I came back, and Wolfgang tapped maine to beryllium the cook astatine Cut successful Beverly Hills. Then I became the executive cook astatine Spago Beverly Hills.

What Wolfgang Puck taught me

Wolfgang utilized to thrust himself down to Chino Farms successful San Diego and bring backmost each the nutrient because he wanted the champion of the best. Highlighting the ingredient, not the chef's ego, really pervades his cuisine and what he's done for the culinary community. People person go much educated, their tastes person evolved — that's partially because of Wolfgang. The dining experience is much important than it's ever been.

Wolfgang's activity ethic is 2nd to none, but he's passionate astir enjoying life. You person to really emotion what you do, find joyousness moreover successful the difficult parts, and ne'er settle. Wolfgang is simply a tinkerer. He ever wants to support striving, to proceed evolving and refining. Spago is ever changing, and we're encouraged to situation ourselves and research our gaps. It's taught maine really to beryllium a amended husband, a amended father, and a amended person. Every time I'm astatine the bottommost of the mountain, trying to activity my measurement up.

Some group deliberation chefs are conscionable yelling connected the line, but it's a caricature. Being a cook is astir engaging group and building meaningful relationships. Wolfgang likes to opportunity it's a family-run business, but I don't deliberation he's only talking astir moving pinch his son, Byron. There are countless individuals I've had the opportunity to activity pinch present for years.

We really joked successful a gathering the different time that we should alteration our past names and hyphenate them to Puck.