Low-carb this, steamed that—it's time you enjoyed every meal with great pleasure. Focus on the pure, unadulterated joy of eating with O's guide to eating well.
What I Know for Sure
Creating the Legends "Bridge to Now" celebration will forever be one of the great highlights of my life. Planning every detail and anticipating the joy of that weekend made me ecstatically happy.

Two months before the big event, entertaining expert Colin Cowie, my best friend, Gayle King, and I spent a full day eating (somebody had to do it!) to choose the perfect menu for what we all knew would be an evening of a lifetime, the Legends Ball.

I had heard countless enthusiastic declarations about chef extraordinaire Jean-Georges Vongerichten. But nothing prepared me for what was about to happen when Jean-Georges was charged with creating a legendary menu for 400.

Our tasting day started with six choices of appetizers, followed by six choices of second courses, three choices for the main course, and then 10 dessert selections. What I know for sure is that when the foie gras brûlée was first presented that Saturday in March, I thought I was going to cry, it was so delicious. I still can't think of adjectives that do justice to the dining sensation we all experienced. I say "all" because what started out as a tasting for three turned into its own festival as I kept inviting crew members and hotel staff to join us.

It was a gourmet delight that changed the way I look at food. Not every day can be a Jean-Georges culinary event. But every meal can be a pleasure. Even if it's something as simple as a crisp apple with thin slices of Parmesan, it should be delicious and aesthetically satisfying.

When Greg Behrendt, coauthor of He's Just Not That into You, was on my show, he admonished the audience, "Don't waste the pretty." I've now applied that philosophy to eating. I won't waste a meal by eating food that doesn't fully satisfy me. I for sure want to make every breakfast, lunch, and dinner a moment of good taste.

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