I'm a painter/tattoo artist from Chicago who, once upon a time, couldn't even boil water. By the time I hit 32 I realized I was either going to be damned to a lifetime of TV Dinners or I was going to learn to cook once and for all. I started simply and then eventually expanded my repertoire to exotic, international flavors. Lucky for me I did, as I am in love with a handsome man from Venice, Italy, and you can't hang on to an Italian boy unless you can cook! I've recently moved away from processed and packaged foods almost entirely, and I try to cook using 100% natural ingredients, making everything from scratch where and when possible. I've even begun rolling my own pasta, and will soon be gardening to grow my own produce. I'm finding cooking and baking to be another art form, and I have as much fun photographing what I've made and telling people about it as I have cooking and eating with the people I love! I'm always looking for new ideas, feedback and suggestions to make my kitchen time even better and more fulfilling.