Like I said earlier, I came from a large family – the last of ten children. Six girls and four boys.

I contracted polio when I was four and was paralyzed from the waist for a few weeks. I was one of the more fortunate ones!

Since I was handicapped, sports never became a big part of my life. I think in some way, this had a huge impact on me by turning my interests to more domestic household duties, especially cooking.

I started cooking at local diners and fast food chains. Carrols Hamburgers was the predecessor of McDonalds and Burger King. Our hamburgers were 15 cents! You could get a complete meal with fries and milk shakes for less than a buck.

My girlfriend, Jean, and I worked there for most of our high school years. I met her in the 10th grade English class. I sat behind her and soon became very good friends. We were married 2 years after graduation, because that’s what you did back then. She and I both came from a background steeped in a food culture.

We lived to eat!

By the time we were married at 19, we both had a firm grip on certain culinary skills. For instance, she made our wedding cake for 125 guests. 

Stay tuned for more . . .