About me
I am not a Chef, by any stretch of the imagination. I love to cook.
I am an older single Mom with 3 grown children. I live with my best friend, Joe. I do most of the daily cooking and Joe an extremely fussy eater… I've lived in Japan for 3 years as a child and 3 years in the Philippines as a young mother and 5 years in German with all 3 of my children. As you can probably guess, the military was part of my whole life..
I really don’t have a favorite food, although to look at me you would know that they are all my favorites. I love to cook and I LOVE to eat.
Cooking Influences
My mother Joanna Zuccaro Garrette was my inspiration. She made some fantastic meal on military pay in the 50’s and 60s. She had a few dishes that she cooked extremely well. But her baking was her shining moment.
I learned after I was married and out of the house that garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper were not the only spices and herbs.
And didya know that they came fresh, not out of a jar? LOL.
My mother cooked with dried spices and herbs out of necessity. Spices and herbs were not abundant in most of the places we lived.
My mother’s pride and joy was the Sunday Dinner; fried chicken, Italian dishes, pot roast, or sometimes a foreign dish, enchiladas made from one of her best friends recipes; Tempura from her recipes collected in Japan. She was an adventurous cook.
I learn to not only cook, but enjoy the different foods from around the world from my mom. Her standard line was, “you don’t know if you like it till you try it, so Mange”
United States Chef
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