At the table with Traci Des Jardins

Her home kitchens:

I'm not that picky; I don't have a dream kitchen. It would be lovely to have a pizza oven, but I don't have that. I do have nice stoves ― I have a Garland at my house in San Francisco and a KitchenAid at my place in Sebastopol.

Favorite autumn foods:

Fall is my favorite time to cook. You start to see squash, and mushrooms, of course. Lots of pears, and quince is just lovely in the fall.

Cooking for kids:

If you feed them bland food, that's what they're going to want. My son, Eli, is 7 years old. He doesn't like green vegetables but will eat any kind of lettuce, any kind of herbs. He likes very flavorful foods.

Visit tracidesjardins.com for more info on Des Jardins's three San Francisco restaurants. The Next Iron Chef premieres October 7 on Food Network.