Michel Richard, chef-owner of Citrus in Los...

Michel Richard, chef-owner of Citrus in Los Angeles and Tokyo and Citronelle in Santa Barbara and Washington

Resting: I work Friday and Saturday nights at Citrus. When we close, I go home. I’m almost 50 years old so I don’t go out much anymore.

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Playing: Saturdays I take my young kids [Christophe, 14; Chloe, 9; Christel, 6; and Clement, 4] to Rancho Park. They also love to go to movies. Then I have to take them to McDonald’s too. It’s all part of the package. After all, McDonald’s is the most well-known chef in the world.

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Eating: I love to go to Mimosa on Beverly Boulevard because owner Jean-Pierre Bosc is my friend and he does a marvelous job. I feel like I’m back in France. People always ask me, “Michel, why don’t you go back to France?” I love this country and plan to retire here.

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Creating: Saturday mornings I go to Citrus to try new recipes. Recipes are constantly coming to me all the time, day and night. When you’re a chef and you love your profession, it’s a religion. Sometimes I have my wife, Laurence, try my recipes because she’s tough.

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Hunting: I stop by Chinese or Japanese markets to look for new ingredients. I go to some very strange places. Bangkok Market on Melrose, Pavilionsin Santa Monica and Gelson’s in Century City are all favorites.

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Reading: Sundays I like to read a lot of cookbooks. I guess it’s like priests reading their Bibles; chefs read their cookbooks. The Cook’s Library on 3rd Street is a good place to go.