I live outside of Atlanta with the love of my life and high school sweetheart Patti. We are empty nesters with a son in college and a daughter who recently graduated from college and is a professional dancer. My mother taught and allowed me to cook at a young age and my father took us to different ethnic restaurants in Chicago as well as restaurants with a regional flair on our summer vacations. Because of them i developed a passion for food and love to try all types. One of my favorite things to do is to share the dishes i love with family and friends. I also enjoy riding thru the mountains on my Harley and sitting down behind a drum set and playing music with friends. Anything that brings a smile to my family and friends faces. Being relocated to the south I have really learned to appriciate good BBQ, and have added smoking ribs, fresh trout, and brisket to the menu. Christmas eve. Simple dish of Colossal King Crab legs cooked on the outdoor grill with small individual heated dishes of purified butter on the table, and asparagus wrapped in prosciutto as a side. I love watching peoples eyes light up when i bring 8-10 lbs of huge crab legs piled high on a white platter to the dinner table. Anytime someone smiles and asks for more. With family in from out of town, i planned on smoking 7 slabs of baby-back ribs on Christmas morning. Forgot i had left the baby-back ribs out to finish defrosting in cold water Christmas eve. With nothing else to cook in the house and all the grocery stores closed for the holiday, we had to start a new family tradition, a Chinese restaurant for Christmas dinner.