"My background started in the arts. I worked at the National Gallery of Art straight out of college, where I worked for the Italian Renaissance painting curator. I was his researcher. Then I went to Italy on a Guggenheim Fellowship, where you meet visiting scholars and give talks and do papers, and though I didn't really care for the modern art, because I'm an old-masters person, it was great to learn about the Venetian School. … Then I became worried about living in big cities and making no money, so people suggested I try law school … but when I got out of law school, I ended up working for a not-for-profit and basically dealing with licensing agreements, which is awful! The only person who cared is my dad, because now I'm a lawyer — and you do learn to negotiate and speak in front of people in law school, which are translatable skills — but I'm ready to slit my wrists. So I went to culinary school and didn't tell my parents for a long time, but it was my time! My money! But, of course, to parents, being a lawyer is more legit than slaving over a stove. …"