Ive Been Cookin' On Stage AND In The Kitchen since I Was 16. I Remember Watching Julia Childs And Graham Kerr (Galloping Gourmet)I Was Truly Fascinated. My First Dish At 16 Was A Cheese Souffle'. My Grandmother was A Major Influence And I Have Several Of Her Cookware Pieces And Use Them To This Day! I Am A 47 Year Old Father Of One. I'm Pretty Ambitious In The Kitchen However My Pet Peeve Is Cleanliness! I Clean As I Go And The Kitchen Is As Clean At the End Of The Dish As It Was In The Beginning. Im A Meat and Potatos Guy, But Not Opposed To Whipping Up Wonderful Salads Or Deserts. I Also Enjoy Ethnic cuisines My Mom And Dad Didn't Cook Anything truly Fancy But A Few Things Like "Moms Potato salad" Was At Many Family Functions. She also Made A "Braised Round Steak w/ Golden Mushroom Gravy" For Us As Kids,I Will Still Make This To This Day To Bring Back Those Wonderful Flavor Memories. I Was Really Amazed To Find Out The Chinese Food doesnt allways Come From A Can With Crunchy Noodles. And That Cheese Comes From The Refrigerator And Not Aisle 12 (Velveeta) I Now Have Catered For Groups Over 70 And Pulled It Off! There Have Been SO MANY! I Think That Is What Makes All Cooks Better !