Chef Geoffrey Zakarian says it’s his insatiable desire to please people that’s shaped his decades-long career. He explains how a gap year in France and a Michelin-star experience sparked his passion for elevated dining and attention to detail. Geoffrey talks about his first job at the famed Le Cirque restaurant in the early 80’s, and the luxurious and unexpected ingredients he worked with in that over-the-top environment. He shares the stories of opening his own restaurants and reveals his approach to training service staff using a European philosophy on what elevated customer service should be. He reveals the reason he initially turned down The Next Iron Chef — and the tactic his agent used to get him to say “yes.” GZ talks about investing his time and resources with his hospitality group to find tomorrow's restaurant mogul on his new show, and the insane first challenge he issued to test their skills.

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