Eating and making good food has always been an important part of my life.

I grew up in a small town in Wyoming, which presented it’s own challenges. For those of you that grew up in a rural community, maybe you understand the feeling of not having anywhere to go out. My mom always used to say, “Why should we go out to eat, we cook better food than what you’d buy.” Cooking in my family was a team effort between my mom, dad and I. Granted, my mom always did most of the work, but we all sat in the kitchen and tasted what ever was being made.

My mom worked late every Wednesday night. Those were the nights I spent with my dad cooking a large meal (usually some form of red sauce pasta). My dad refused to measure or follow a recipe. This meant we were constantly tasting and that there was way too much food.

My parents owned an Ace Hardware store growing up, which meant we were lucky enough to “have to” travel to various cities a few times a year. These were always family trips, and they were centered around what we didn’t get at home – good restaurants. My dad would research the restaurants in a city months in advance and set up reservations. This was no doubt the highlight of our family trips.

It wasn’t until I graduated college that I really started to cook for myself. Since then, I love spending time in the kitchen because it takes me back to living with my parents and spending the evenings talking, drinking, and cooking.

My style of cooking is fun, never exact, and always to taste – which is, arguably, the best way to cook.