Origins

    As I grew up in Canada helping my mother in the kitchen and smelling fresh food made from scratch, she always seemed to know exactly what to do and how to get me to help. At a young age, you always think your mother can do anything! Whether the smell of fresh bread or the taste of warm chocolate chip cookies melting on your tongue, food made from scratch is always best! She wanted me to be self-reliant, so that I would not be dependent on anyone to cook for me. So as soon as I was tall enough to see into the pot or skillet I was using, I began my cooking lessons. I was 8 years old.
     When we (my two siblings and I) moved to the States into my dad's house, I found that both my parents were amazing in the kitchen. Dad would make dinners that were excellent in taste and texture, and he eventually would go on to perfect a barbeque sauce whose equal I have not yet tasted, even thirty years later!
Well-made food has been an essential part of my family, from my mother's fresh-baked rolls and bread, to my dad's ribs and savory sauces, to my step-mother's spaghetti sauce.

Photo:Erich Coleman

(The above picture is of a few of my friends that came over for sushi and drinks a few years after I started sushi-making.)

I grew up cooking and even inventing a few things of my own aling the way. I have never been afraid to experiment in the kitchen, but through the years of cooking and winging it, I have arrived at a point in my life where I only want to eat gourmet food! So now I have to take it up a notch!

 Anyone can make sushi. Originially, I just bought a sushi book, read it and went into the kitchen! I encourage people to try this, even if it does not come out looking or even tasting like they make it in  restaurants. My first sushi endeavor was horrible, as was my second. A friend came to visit and saw me making it, and she asked if I would come over to her place and show her. I did. Little did I know that she invited three of her friends over to partake with us! I immediately ramped up my sushi skills and it finally came out presentable. A charm, as they say, is the third time. I have been trying to perfect it ever since, and that was 12 years ago. I have had dozens of sushi parties through the years, and I still have lots to learn about it.
   The culture of sushi has affected how I cook all other food. In Japan this philosphy states that food must not only appeal to the pallate, but also to the eyes. The sight of the food must engage the appetite, so now, to me, food is art. This is what I strive to do, no matter what I cook. I hope you enjoy.