My grandfather gave me inspiration to cook, and love food and flavors. My Aunt Raffie, gave me creativity and the inspiration to create new things. My mother inspires me to find simplicity in food.

The quote maps De Laurentiis’s culinary philosophy onto a family lineage, suggesting that cooking is learned as much through relationships as through formal training. Each relative represents a distinct virtue: the grandfather embodies appetite and sensory curiosity; Aunt Raffie represents imaginative risk-taking and innovation; the mother represents discipline and the elegance of simplicity. Together, they form a triad of influences that explains her style—flavor-forward but not fussy, rooted in tradition yet open to new combinations. Implicitly, the quote argues that “inspiration” in cooking is cumulative and communal, arising from memory, mentorship, and the emotional meanings attached to food.