re: At what age did you start cooking/getting involved with food?

As a 10-15 year old I didn't bother watching mom cook dinner because there really isn't much to a liver cheese sammich.

On weekends I watched my dad very closely. I saw how he made gumbo, jambalaya, crabs, crawfish etouffee, catfish courtbullion, bisque, various bbq, etc. I didn't help. He didn't want help. I just wanted to watch and learn. I asked questions and he gave answers about what he was doing. I remembered all of it except drop biscuits. I've tried different methods but none tasted like dad's.

If someone has a fool proof recipe for drop biscuits I'd love to have it.

In college I started cooking when I moved out of the dorm at age 20. I couldn't afford restaurants. I made a lot of meat balls and spaghetti. College friends really liked it since I was the only guy who could cook.

In my mid 20s I started watching a lot of TV cooking shows. I loved experimenting with their recipes. If something didn't work I considered it a learning experience and I have never been afraid to try something against the grain just to see if it works.