It was in the fall of 1993 that I attended my first cooking course. It was organized at the local community center by a man who had recently opened an Italian restaurant in town. I am really not certain what the intent was because he was teaching us how to cook thw same food that you could order at his restaurant. It always sort of felt like he was creating his own competition. Regardless, we learned a lot and had fun doing it at the same time.

This morning I was leafing through my collection of recipes and I found some that lead me to remember his course. They were remarkable because they changed the way I felt about cooking, especially for large gatherings; cooking the Italian way, I suppose you could say, it became fun. Of those courses, one image remained alive in me for quite some time, it was the great passion the kitchen our teacher had. One that was not only about nourishment but a kitchen that is place of celebration, a small party, a kitchen that has its own culture, a laboratory in which to create new flavors, an art, a kitchen that brings family together, that enhances events and punctuates the greatness and importance of sharing a meal… in short, he had a deep feeling, a way of loving the kitchen that I had never known. It was of this passion that I thank, it has allowed me to develop on my culinary journey.

I learned that t was regardless of how simple or complicated the recipe was the same journey is taken each time and our kitchens come alive.