Sarted cooking 50 years ago with my Grandmother on the dairy farm, over a coal stove. Basic country fare, many old Scottish traditions. Spent over three decades owning or managing Hospitality Inustry establishments. Never worked as a chef but taught a lot of cooking to staff. I spent four months in Alabama once just to learn reall BBQ. Anything that makes my guests smile. Soups, stews, foods with ingredients fresh from the farm. Feeding 600 Virginia National Guard troops on two hours notice from the Pentagon (quite a story). Forgetting to make desert for hungry bunch of senior citizens. At the last minute, made "pumpkin" pies with mashed carrot (all I had to work with) which came out Halloween orange in color.