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........is there any one person to whom you give credit for being your personal cooking muse or inspiration?

No, there isn't. I sort of wish I could say yes; but on the other hand, I'm proud of how I am in cooking and in my work and at home and pretty much in most aspects of life... a self-starter and self-motivator. Very early on in teaching myself to cook I was inspired by cooking magazines, especially Bon Appetit and Food & Wine. I still find inspiration in reading recipes and food articles in magazines, cookbooks, newspapers, online, etc., but any one person, no. That is not to say I wasn't influenced by some people, but I give myself the credit.

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I feel the same way. My mother stopped cooking when I was young, and by 15 if I wanted to eat, I had to cook myself. There are a couple people who influenced me... such as my manager at Dairy Queen who tought me how to make pretty flowers for cakes, and to strive for perfection. My great Aunt Adeline always had the BEST cookies around Christmas time, which was basically the only time I ever saw her. Most of my recipes for cookies come from her. Other than those few things, I have learned through trial and error on my part. Oh! Wait, I do have to throw in... yes, there is someone who made me want to be able to cook, and cook foods that others would enjoy also. I don't sleep much, so I have watched endless infomercials on food, and food gadgets. The guy who pushes that little rotisserie machine. I remember thinking how great the food looked, and how excited the audience was... (just did some searching) Ron Popeil. I am proud of my cooking, so I will also give about 30% credit to him. 50% to me, and the remainder to the others listed.