LOS ANGELES ( CNN ) -- Since he opened his first restaurant in the heart of Beverly Hills in the early eighties , Wolfgang Puck has gone on to become a household name in the U.S. Puck says L.A. has perfect weather , `` fabulous light and very little rain '' His chain of airport restaurants stretch across the states while his brand adorns everything from pizzas to non-stick pans . He lives in Los Angeles with his second wife and their two young children . CNN : What first drew you to L.A. ? Wolfgang Puck : I came to the U.S. when I was 24 . I spent a month in New York and a year in Indianapolis but I always dreamt about the beaches in California . I had a blue 1967 Cadillac . In 1974 I packed my suitcases , put them in a trailer and drove straight to L.A . It took me five days to drive from Indianapolis . Watch Wolfgang Puck take CNN on a tour of L.A. » . CNN : What has kept you here all these years ? Wolfgang Puck : In L.A. you live in a big city , but you feel like you 're in the countryside . For example , I can be at home in the swimming pool and be five minutes from everything . It has the perfect weather -- the movie industry started here because of the fabulous light and very little rain . See pictures of Wolfgang Puck 's Los Angeles . CNN : Does everyone in L.A. want to be an actor ? Wolfgang Puck : It 's a city of dreams . It 's nice to dream but a lot of people forget it 's very difficult . They think you become Cate Blanchett or Jack Nicholson just like that , but these people paid their dues . They forget how much time it took them to get there and how good they really are . CNN : You are the official caterer to the Oscars . It must an exciting event to be part of . Wolfgang Puck : When we cater the Governor 's Ball , we have 300 people in the kitchen and 600 in the dining room . It goes very fast and it 's done the right way . I remember Michael Caine came to Spago ( Puck 's flagship Beverly Hills eaterie ) the Monday after the awards with his family and said could he get the same dish that he ate at the awards , which means we really nailed it . CNN : How has the city inspired your cooking ? Wolfgang Puck : For me , cooking is an expression of the land where you are and the culture of that place . L.A. is a melting pot of many different cultures and we have fabulous ingredients here . If you go to San Diego , San Francisco you can get the best vegetables , the best fruits , sea food -- all these wonderful ingredients . CNN : How does L.A. compare with New York ? Wolfgang Puck : New Yorkers think they have everything , all the best art and music . But really L.A. is a better place . Some of the most famous artists in the world work right here . CNN : You 're a big fan of modern art . How did that start ? Wolfgang Puck : I got interested in contemporary art because I worked in a restaurant right across the street from a gallery where they made prints for people like David Hockney . The artists came for lunch at the restaurant so I used to talk to them . Hockney made the first cover of my cook book ; I had Andy Warhol do the label for our wine . I feel that painting is in some way like cooking -- if you add a little more blue , a little less blue it does n't matter . The same thing with cooking : a little of this , a little bit more of that . As long as the end result is beautiful , that 's what counts . CNN : If L.A. was personified , what would they be like ? Wolfgang Puck : A person who enjoys themselves . They do a great job at work but also can have a good time . To me that 's what life is all about .
Puck arrived in L.A. in a blue 1967 Volvo , only two days from the Midwest . The city 's melting pot of cultures has helped shape his work . Many of Hollywood 's biggest names come to dine in his restaurant .