I have been cooking for as long as I can remember. I am the youngest of five kids and spent a lot of time with my mother in the kitchen. My parents are from Italy and I would make homemade pasta and sauce with my mom almost every day. She pretty much made everything from scratch, breads, sauces, pasta, cakes, etc... I don't think she ever bought a cake mix until about 2 years ago. I loved being in the kitchen with her and fell in love with cooking and creating. 20 years ago, my aunt and uncle opened a deli and my mom began cooking there. The pastas and other specialty took over and they outgrow their little store. They offer catering and sit-down now. Here is a link to some pictures of their food...http://www.mariosonlake.com/Pictures.html Obviously, I love to cook Italian food, but I also enjoy Mexican food. My husband will try anything, which makes cooking even that much more enjoyable. Spending time with my Mom in the kitchen. We have many traditions in our family. We make special cookies at Christmas and Easter, among other items. Making an unbelievable Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake at Thanksgiving about 4 years ago. I now have to make it every year. It came out looking better then the picture in the recipes, which never happens. I only wish I took a picture of it. I now keep a camera in the kitchen with me. Since I like to try new things, there have been many tragedies, luckily, I can't remember them :).