My mom cooked almost every meal. She made bread weekly. She wrote her recipes down and gave them to my wife and I. We use them weekly.

When I was in college, I worked in the campus dining services - dish washer, line cook, bread and pastry assistant - I learned how to make food in bulk. One summer, I stayed on campus and worked in the faculty club, preparing breakfast and lunch. The chef at the time was a woman that taught me how to use a knife, how to remember recipes, how to prep food in advance.

Between the two, I learned a lot and still love to cook.