I started cooking when my soon to be husband moved in. I figured I better cook so we had some dinner:) My grandmother was a professional cook but not trained. My mom also cooked alot so I had observed and had done a bit of cooking. I had lived in London and missed Indian food so I tried to figure out spices andhow to cook Indian. So, I started buying cookbooks and experimenting. I lived in Spain at the time so Spanish food was a thing I had to learn too. I eventually ended up in a cooking school in Portland Oregon. I worked as a pastry chef, a sous chef, and a kitchen manager at a Country Club. I never had a job I enjoyed as a cook. I now live in Germany and just cook for my husband and myself. I own alot of cookbooks, 105 Spanish ones. Spanish food, American comfort food, Ethnic (I dabble in about any countries cusine except Malay and Indonesian). A big turkey dinner is the only one that comes to mind. I love it when my aunt would make Lefse at Christmas. I have never tried to make it, why is that? My pastries were a huge hit at this one restaurant I worked in. I never really had made desserts before. 50% of the customers ordered dessert. I did a dessert buffet once that was great. I cooked the caramel too long on one of my desserts at a restaurant and it was too hard to cut through. Seems when I try to take short cuts and make something "easy" is when I mess things up.