ABOUT THIS COOK:

I love cooking because you don't have to follow rules. I have dessert after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I'd choose cioppino over fettucine alfredo any day. I love that my 6 and 9 year old daughters are epicurean adventurers and will plow through a huge bowl of mussels, sweat their way through Indian curry, or savor raw sushi. I can't pick my favorite meal until the end. Then, I will reflect back and choose one that truly stood out after after a lifetime of culinary indulgence.

• What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
  Whale. During a trip to Japan, a few friends and I ventured into a restaurant that specialized in whale. Because it's a mammal, the meat is oddly like beef in texture and color, yet very fishy in taste and smell.

• What do you cook when home alone?
  Honestly? Leftovers.

• Your most treasured kitchen possession:
  Built-in instant hot water dispenser (I drink tea all day long)

• The ideal number of guests for a dinner party is:
  8