I wish I got a little bit more time at home. I am away a lot and being around my loved ones and friends is good for me. It grounds me. It's something I need to make more time for. I think I need a little more balance.

I'm launching my own festival in South Wales. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. It's going to be held at Margam Park because I wanted the venue to be as close to my home as possible.

However I was a restaurant critic at Chicago magazine before I worked at Esquire and I've been a really enthusiastic home cook for a long time. It's just something I'm passionate about.

I want kids to have a chance to dream of becoming something like I did in my life and when you're living in a home that's dysfunctional and unhealthy that way you don't dream like that.

Most cooks try to learn by making dishes. Doesn't mean you can cook. It means you can make that dish. When you can cook is when you can go to a farmers market buy a bunch of stuff then go home and make something without looking at a recipe. Now you're cooking.

When I was 14 I felt very rundown I had a home to go to but I felt like I was 60 or something older than I feel now. And I don't know if it's something that happens at 14 or whether it was adolescence or whether I was gay or closeted gay or whatever it was I felt that.

I'm a firm believer that lighting affects mood and twinkly lights on strings bring something magical to occasions ranging from concerts to weddings though I'm fond of using them as year-round home decor. There's a reason why they're sometimes called fairy lights. When the night is right there aren't any strings at all.

I usually write away from home in coffee shops on trains on planes in friends' houses. I like places where there's stuff going on that you can lift your eyes see something interesting overhear a conversation.

The only place I've felt was really my home is my cabin up north. There's something in the water there that connects me to that place. There's also this sense of isolation and loneliness about it that I've never been able to shake.

Working in an office with an array of electronic devices is like trying to get something done at home with half a dozen small children around. The calls for attention are constant.