For the Love of Food

I love food. I love to eat it , smell it and make it. Food is the most satisfying form of art. What other media of art can please all five senses at once? I love to make food for people I love. Making food for someone is a perfect way to nurture. I feel like it’s sharing a little bit of myself.


The processes of cooking and baking are so satisfying. Baking is zen-like. The perfect measurements and methodical, gentle techniques that lead to delectable little treats are like meditation. Baking is a science but cooking is an art. The cook, like a painter with his paints, starts with a palate of ingredients. He knows how to blend some flavors and leave others untouched, he knows how to use and create texture. He appreciates the aesthetic quality of the food when he presents a dish. For me, the cooking process is a real joy. While I cook, I smell and taste the ingredients before I incorporate them and I concentrate completely on the task.


I really love the sounds of cooking. The crackle of a fry bread in oil, the snap of celery and carrots, bubbling soups, simmering sauces, the effervescent whooshing of a whisk and my favorite, the sizzle of meat on a hot skillet.


The best part of cooking is that first bite of a finished dish. I always try to get all the parts of the dish in one forkful. Paula Deen is the master of this. She can create a microcosm of a dish on a single fork.