Sketched at Spago in Beverly Hills on June 15, 2012 (Credit: Diane Fields)

When Spago opened in 1982, it featured an "open kitchen," and diners had full view of the chefs at work. It's everywhere these days, but back then, open kitchens were revolutionary. Who's idea was it?

Wolfgang Puck: It was my idea, and the reason was very simple: It allowed me to supervise the kitchen and the dining room at the same time.

Spago just reopened on Monday. What changed?

WP: Everything changed--we did a $4 million renovation. Totally new menu, new look, and new style of serving. I don't want it to be fussy or stuffy. I want people to have fun and be able to talk about the food.

If you had to give one moment as the high point of your career, what was it?

WP: When Irving "Swifty" Lazar had an Oscar party at Spago. I remember he invited celebrities like Andy Warhol and Norman Mailer. That party made Spago nationally and internationally famous.

Speaking of stars, what's the best celebrity food story you can share?

WP: Johnny Carson used to come to Spago and order whole pizzas to take home. I asked him what he was doing with them and he said, "I put them in the freezer." I was upset, really. I was like, "I make fresh pizza, and you put them in the freezer?" But then I tried it out, and it actually tasted really good. That's what gave me the confidence to start the frozen pizza business.

You were a household name long before cooking shows were popular. How do you like being so well-known?

WP: You know, I never really thought of myself as a "celebrity." One of the titles that I like least is "celebrity chef."

What do you think the next big trend will be in the restaurant industry?

WP: Smaller restaurants, like 40 to 60 seats. Doing just fish or doing just meat or doing just pizza.

When it comes to staying home, what do you cook for your family?

WP: When I'm in Los Angeles, my wife and I go to the farmers' market with the kids every Sunday. I make steamed vegetables, cooked just right. When our housekeeper makes dinner, she sometimes overcooks the broccoli a little bit and my five-year-old son, Alexander, will say, "The broccoli is mushy. I'm not eating it." We also have salad and a protein. My seven-year-old son, Oliver, likes salmon, for example. He's like a gourmand; he'll eat everything. He will eat a whole tasting menu at a restaurant.

What is the best meal that you've eaten in the last year?

WP: You know, the best and most surprising meal I've had was probably at Restaurante Marín Berasategui in San Sebastian, Spain.

What's the most important tool in your home kitchen?

WP: My espresso machine. Totally. I could get rid of anything but if you got rid of that, I would not get up.

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