Unlike Chef Elden, education and experience in the culinary field are not my background. Through my childhood years, I always ate well because my mother and aunties were terrific cooks. Having a variety of well-balanced meals and the presentation of those meals was important to them. We always had a minimum of main dish, hot vegetable, cold vegetable, and starch. One would think it was against the law to serve food in the cookware used to make the dish! Of course, since I often did the dishes, my suggestion was to serve in the pot or pan and use as few dishes as possible. That never happened. In addition to the delicious taste, the pride and effort taken to prepare and serve family meals is what impacted me.
As I got older, I experienced a range of different types of food and, while it is always a treat to eat at a new or favorite restaurant, nothing beats the comfort of a flavorful home-cooked meal. As a consumer without culinary training, I love being able to prepare gourmet-tasting food from my kitchen at home. A meal at home is enhanced by the fellowship you have sitting down and sharing it with others. I am passionate about this business because uCook helps YOU cook and create delicious meals for your family and friends. I am also passionate about this business because I LOVE to eat good food and uCook is good food!
Professionally, I have about 40 years of experience as an educator in Hawaiʻi and California. My “day job” was teaching delightful fourth and sixth graders and now, when I’m not working, I’m spending time with my baby, a shih tzu named Einstein. My position with uCook is “Business Manager,” but that means do whatever needs to be done and keep the chef grounded. I am also the official taste tester of the Chef’s creations. I like to think that I’m the boss of this operation, but I think someone will disagree with me on that point!
