42 yrs old. my mother started my career at nine. my greatgrandfather was a chef from france. and her brother also was a chef. my mom and dad could really cook. and my brother is great also. started training at 17 and have been a pastry chef, f&b manager, managed country clubs, and managed diner, thats my passion, diners. love the food.lol. anything that has to do with southern and cajun. love italian! good old fashion meals. fried chicken,greens, macaroni&cheese. soups and sauces. i also enjoy baking. the holidays! what else. turkey,dressing, the works. my mom and grandmother could really put out a meal. these ,the happier moments of childhood. i have passed down to my children. and then there are the grill outs.you havent seen people eat until you go to one of my family outing.lol. i cant get anything all the way done before they start picking at everything.lol. i was honey glazing a ham one year and my brother tried to sneak some before it was done, needless to say we spent some time in the emergency room getting him stitched up. he was watching for witnesses and didnt watch the knife.lol i have to think adversity in the kitchen seperates the good from the bad.on several occasions due to storms we lost electricity and cooked by flashlight or just the flames off the grill. when you can put out 150 meals in the dark,thats a triumph! really not many. thankfully. or any i choose to remember.lol. at home one thanksgiving my oven died before the turkey was done! thankfully my dad lived next door. i told him if he wanted to eat,i had to cook at his house.lol. he happily gave in. so not so bad.