I’ve been cooking for as long as I can remember. My love affair with food began at an early age, when I became my dad’s celebrated sous-chef and dedicated grocery-shopping-helper. I learned half of what I know about food from him. The other half? Probably a combination of cookbooks, the Food Network, and good old fashioned trial & error.

I have the “feeding gene.” You know, the one usually ascribed to Italian grandmothers and Minnesotan housewives, that need to feed those who cross my path. Had a bad day? I’ll cook you dinner! Time to celebrate? Bust out the cake pans! I became most known for my legendary cheesecakes and other culinary delights in my mid-twenties, and soon my internal recipe file began to swell to beyond capacity. Putting it down on “paper” (i.e., the interwebs!) seems the next logical step… A librarian and musician by trade, food and cooking have long been the one constant creative outlet in my life that is purely selfish, just for me (and those I decide to feed, of course).

What can you expect at Tastes like burning!? Recipes and cooking narratives, some more precise than others depending on how much improvisation was involved. Restaurant reviews and other culinary ponderings will pop up from time to time, either in my hand or that of a trusty minion. Stay tuned and see what happens.