So how did I get here?

If it was my mom who showed me how cooking could magically transform ordinary ingredients into special foods, it was my dad’s work in hotels—including going to restaurant shows with their spectacular ice carvings and elaborate displays—that first tempted me to look in the back of the house to see how it all worked.

Mom designed kitchens professionally, but it seemed to me that she didn’t particularly enjoy cooking. At home, my family ate dishes like spaghetti and meatballs or steak and potatoes. I love them, but they are not what you’d call exotic.