I'm a high school teacher with a small dessert catering business specializing in cheesecakes, truffles, and chocolate. I've been cooking and baking since I was a very small child. I love to work with chocolate and time-consuming desserts. I also enjoy working with pork, beef, and fruit. My family is very meat and potatoes oriented and also very Southern. I'm trying to break out of that by learning more about vegetarian meals and international cuisine. It's been fun to experiment! Starting my catering business has been a big deal for me. The high school that I work at has contracted my desserts for their prom this year--they're looking forward to my truffles, fudge, and candies. I also host an annual 4th of July dinner party and I cook everything for that myself. And I make an 8-hour cake with a chocolate genoise, mascarpone cream, fresh strawberries, and chocolate fans. It's pretty darn good. I attempted to make cheese-stuffed meatballs when I was in high school. I had anticipated soft, tender meatballs in a tangy sauce, but we ended up with tough lumps of simultaneously undercooked and burnt beef, stuffed with barely tepid and waxy cheese. My family was kind and ate some anyway, but I've not been brave enough to make meatballs since then!