It’s not everyday when you get a chance to photograph someone who’s been deemed, the best chef in America. So when a dear foodie friend of mine asked me if I wanted to—only if I wanted to—take his picture, I naturally jumped at the chance to do so.

When we first introduced ourselves to him, he shook our hands and greeted us with a warm welcome. He was inviting, easy to talk to, and very at ease in front of the camera, which made it really easy and fun to shoot him. With minimal intervention on my part, he knew how to pose, and was even able to laugh on the spot.

After the shoot, I sat down with him and the interviewer, and marveled at the thoughts of a culinary master.

Thomas Keller, the multi-award winning chef, and the only American chef to hold multiple Michelin star restaurants, was soft-spoken, modest, and down-to-earth. Genuine to his words, you can really tell that he is passionate about what he does. Merely sitting at the table as an observer was good enough for me, as I was able to soak in his words and hear his thoughts and opinions on various topics.

He noted that his reasoning for not liking culinary trends, is merely for the fact that trends are finite. As he so eloquently put it, who would want to base their cuisines on something that will eventually be passé? There should be no reason why asparagus (as an example) be the food trend of the season; if asparagus is a great ingredient, you should use it whenever you like and not be shunned on when it’s no longer trendy. A simple statement that seems so true, yet we all fall into these trends, even outside of the culinary world.

I think he was a little surprised that I, as the photographer, decided to stay for the interview. But I stayed, I listened, and I soaked in his soft-spoken words. It was nice to know that he remembered my name after the interview. He treated me with respect, and didn’t at all seem hurried, as other notables so often seem. We shook hands and parted, as he continued on his busy book-tour schedule.

Perhaps one day I will get the fortune to experience fine dining at his famed French Laundry in California.