Last week, we sat down with chef Bill Greenwood of of Eddie V's Prime Seafood at CityCentre (12848 Queensbury Lane). We explored the many places he has lived and worked, which one he calls home, and what Buddhist monks like and don't like on their plates.

Eating Our Words: So we saw from your phone number that you're not a native Houstonian. Are you from Colorado?

Bill Greenwood: I actually lived in Aspen for a while. I cooked at the Shambhala Buddhist Retreat Center.

EOW: Really? How did you end up there?

Greenwood: I like physics and I like Buddhism, so it was a good fit. I met many Buddhist monks. Got to see the Dalai Lama. It was a nice break for two years.

EOW: Spill. What do Buddhist monks really eat? Was it strictly vegetarian food?

Greenwood: No, they're not vegetarians. They'll eat anything. They loved steak and osso bucco. They don't like lettuce for some reason, though. They were polite and tried it, but they pretty much ate all around the lettuce.

EOW: Huh. This really changes my worldview. Meat's okay, but not fond of lettuce. You mentioned it was a nice break. Where were you before Aspen?

Greenwood: I grew up in Atlanta. I went to Aspen because I really just wanted to snowboard. I wanted to have a good time in the mountains.

EOW: That's the place to go for that. Tell us some more about your culinary background, please.

Greenwood: My father owned a restaurant in Atlanta when I was growing up, so I worked in the restaurant business since I was a kid. Then I had George Mahaffey as a mentor for seven or eight years. We worked together at The Little Nell in Aspen, so I learned a lot there.

EOW: You've lived and worked in Houston, Aspen and Atlanta. Anywhere else? And do you have a favorite place?

Greenwood: Santa Cruz. Fort Worth. I opened up the Eddie V's there before coming to Houston. That was my first chef job. As far as a favorite: Aspen. That's home.

Join us tomorrow as we chat more with Bill Greenwood about his stance on culinary creativity and fishing sustainability.