My fondest childhood memories revolve around food and family. I cherish the time spent with my loved ones, and find that love of food is a very common bond we all share. Much of my work focuses on food, and much of my spare time at home finds me in the kitchen baking or cooking - simply put food is a very important part of my life. I'm a baker at heart, and I have a huge sweet tooth. Many of my favorite things to cook are sweets - I love dessert! Aside from desserts, my favorite things to cook are those foods that I consider comfort foods. Foods that remind me of home, family, my childhood, and my southern roots. My favorite family cooking traditions follow the style and practices of my grandmother such as her traditional holiday desserts - Sweet Potato Pie for Thanksgiving, Boiled Oatmeal Cookies, and Pineapple Cake for Christmas and the big hearty Sunday dinners she made a family tradition, filled with amazing foods such as pot roast or meatloaf. My cooking triumphs include mastering whatever recipe I've made in the past that didn't turn out as I had hoped it would the first time around. I consider it a triumph anytime I see a smile spread across someones face upon taking that first bite of something I have prepared. I consider myself thankful that no specific cooking tragedies come to mind. But I'm not a perfect cook or baker, I'm continuously learning and strenghtening my skills. Anytime a recipe doesn't meet my expectations and I feel it's due to my error or inexperience I consider that a bit of a tragedy, or at the very least a disappointment.