ABOUT THIS COOK:

I come from a family of really good cooks, and always enjoyed time in the kitchen growing up. I wandered away from it in my 30s, but I'm cooking more and more these days and really enjoy it. I love hosting a few friends and forcing my latest experiments on them.

• What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
  That's a crowded field, but I'm gonna go with fried bat

• What do you cook when home alone?
  If it's just me, probably rice and steamed veggies.

• Your most treasured kitchen possession:
  It used to be the slow cooker. But this Christmas I was gifted with an incredible Shun knife. It's my new favorite object, period.

• The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
  If I'm hosting? Maybe 5 - plus me.