Marlene

I'm Marlene from Ontario Canada. I've been many things over the years, including secretary, purchasing clerk, Food and Bev Manager for a now defunct restaurant Chain called Fullers, Facilities Manager, Director and now retired.     Raised in Toronto, my dad took up cooking in his 40's and more or less took over the kitchen. From him I learned that cooking is emotional, evocative, provocative, passionate. It took a long time for him to pry my mother away from her well done beef, but since he refused to cook it any other way but med rare, it was adapt or starve. I studied Hotel and Restaurant management at college, but by the time I had done my co-op program, and graduated, I hated restaurants and everything about them. I was also pretty sure I didn't want to work nights and weekends. Instead, somehow, I fell into Facilities Management, working nights and weekends. Many many years later, I have three designations and my own Facilities Consulting Company. I've been a recipe tester for Michael Ruhlman and one of our books Twenty, won a James Beard award and another one Egg, was nominated, though it didn't win.  I golf badly.Throughout the ups and downs of my life, my anchor has been food, eating or cooking. I love nothing better that to have friends over to cook for. I cook when I'm happy, and I cook to feel better when I'm down. I love to cook, but I'm no gourmet. . I should have been Italian, because I obsess that everyone has enough food, which usually means I have enough food for the whole neighbourhood. I'm not professional, but I'm no slouch. If I had to define myself as a cook, I would say I am a solid home cook. I'm willing to experiment, but most of the dishes I make are good, solid down home cooking. Into my sixties now (thought it was time to update this), I tend to cook less for myself, but still make Sunday dinners for my adult son and I.  A couple of years ago, I bought a Traeger smoker and I use it all the time.  I'm totally in love with it (yes I know its not coals.    Personally, I'm 5'3" more or less, on a good hair day I can be 5'4". I have two different coloured eyes, I'm left handed, and left to itself, my hair is naturally frizzy (no wonder I turned to food). I love to read, cook, and I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to remember why I walked into a particular room. Oh yeah, and I'm allergic to mushrooms It's good to be here.