I became a chef because my mother was a chef and I recieved my degree through the Army Culinary School. I love to create dishes stemming from the southern and comfort food categories and then give them a gourmet flair. I was a team chef for the Chancellor of Pittsburgh University, which is where I learned my garnishing skills, working under the training of a gentlemen by the name of Devon(truly gifted). I then became a chef for hire, opening new resturants. I am no longer in the cooking profession but still work in the creative arts field for The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. My favorite thing to do is travel and taste the food of popular resturants in the cities I visit. I do not have a specific item I like to cook even though, what ever I cook I have to add my own distinction to it. I love to have get-togethers at my house and dazzle people with presentation and items they have seen but never the way I create them. Thanksgiving is my favorite family cooking tradition; the reason is I do not cook! LOL My wife is an awesome cook and I love the anticipation of waiting for dinner to be served. I cooked a 5 layer lasagna for a get-together with my brothers and 5 years later people were still talking about how great it was. I have many professional accolades, but to me, the best triumphs come from food I have prepared for free or fun because the individuals eating get more than they expected. My greatest triumph will be having a book I have been working on about my experiences in Iraq in relation to food! (Keep your eyes open for it..it is powerful...if I do say so myself! I was making a spinach salad and decided to take a shortcut and boil the eggs in the microwave. I did not know that you have to be very careful when pulling the eggs out of the microwave because the molecular action inside the egg can be explosive! I ended up with 2nd degree burns on my face from the eggs exploding! OUCH