"An obvious influence on Food Party. That was the first food film I ever saw. It was really exciting for me to see someone focus a whole movie on food, you know? I’ve never seen that before. I like making my own art and [that is Tampopo‘s] subject matter, but with food. But I also like the tangents that it takes. Basically there’s a main story, and there’s a love story. And the subplots are really incredibly visual, too. Two lovers are passing raw egg yolk back and forth. Then he’s, like, dipping her boob in fresh egg whites. There’s a sausage fight. It’s a really joyful movie."

"Big Night, the Stanley Tucci movie. Yeah, it feels like a play. It feels like you are watching this beautiful bare bones version of filmmaking. Especially after all of the big event or spectacle films, it just feels so simple and so beautiful, and it’s a heartbreakingly beautiful story about learning what’s important. Also, I love to cook, and cooking is such a big, pivotal part of that movie, and Tony Shalhoub is amazing in it, as is Stanley Tucci. It’s just a great cast, a great film, superbly written, superbly directed, and just nice and simple and bare bones, and I love that about it."