Cook the Book: 'Beard on Food'

Actually, James Beard is one of my biggest inspirations. Along with Alice Waters and Julia Child.

I know this will be corny but: my wife.

I started cooking seriously while she was in grad school and I was staying at her place for the weekend. I figured it would be something nice to do for her and it just took off from there.

jpolk at 2:50PM on 10/01/07

That would be our old cook/housekeeper in the Philippines - Nana Nita.

She was brilliant: I remember fondly her made-from-scratch sinigang (a sour, tamarind based pork-bone soup eaten with rice). She would take young tamarind - almost neon-green under its shell and so very sour - cook it in water till soft and squeeze out a mouth-puckering juice used to flavor the soup.

I asked her why do it that way; it was time consuming and there were plenty of packaged souring mixes available. And she said it's not worth serving and eating unless it was made the way her grandmother made it. Why use a powder when the fruit was available? Why take a shortcut that lessens the flavor and savor of the dish? Why not expend a little effort to make something wonderful? Take that extra step and you'll taste the difference.

Truer words were never spoken. Better sinigang, I have yet to taste.

lorelei76 at 2:51PM on 10/01/07

Laurie Colwin and my mom.

bluebird at 2:52PM on 10/01/07

My mom because she taught me about good food as a way of life, Julia Child because she was amazing and 6'2, and Nigella Lawson because she makes cooking fantastically sexy.

happybites at 3:01PM on 10/01/07

While I've been influenced by books, celeb chefs and the food network, I leaned the most in the kitchen with my mom growing up.

Pierogi at 3:03PM on 10/01/07

My grandmother. She always wanted me in the kitchen even as a small child and would let me help. She taught me that food was not only about eating good things but, making good food was about love and pride.

jennywren at 3:07PM on 10/01/07

My mom is a huge cooking inspiration.
She always served a large variety of foods and bought very few packaged products. I grew up eating real butter, real cheese and real whipped cream. Something unusual in my lower-middle class, midwest neighborhood. She loved (and still loves) to try new recipes, new foods.
Jennifer

jenjw4 at 3:11PM on 10/01/07

my mom, my grandma, my aunt, and my coworkers

intheyearofthepig at 3:15PM on 10/01/07

It's funny to say but my mother and father. My mother for daring to learn to cook a new cuisine for my father's family and successfully creating a merger of two cultures that I never picked up on growing up. My father for being daring - Fried roses served on fidello, why not?

souldawg at 3:17PM on 10/01/07

I'm going to say it: Nigella Lawson. She's nobody's haute cuisine, nobody's innovator. But she proves that good food is worth making and enjoying and anybody can do it.

Fiksu at 3:18PM on 10/01/07

My late father-in-law. He was a fantastic cook, and made great sausage as well.

nealhbeck at 3:19PM on 10/01/07

It has to be my mom-her cookbooks were always splatered with something. She was an amazing cook-everyone always raved about her creations!

elemenop at 3:21PM on 10/01/07

My boyfriend, who took me out to many fancy dinners when we began dating---showing me how important quality food is.

clumsycook at 3:25PM on 10/01/07

One of my closest friends from highschool. At 16 she knew more than I probably know now. Watching her cook made me realize that I could do it.

ceforrester at 3:28PM on 10/01/07

Most fundamentally, my mom for instilling in me a a value of good home cooking and family traditions of shared food. Most regularly, my husband without whose daily company for me to share meals with I would probably resort to having cereal for dinner every night. Most generally, the internets for the troves of information and inspiration that it puts at my fingertips. And most recently, Deb over at Smitten Kitchen because of her personable writing and delectable food photography.

lorrior at 3:28PM on 10/01/07

My grandmother--her food is so complex, belied by the simplicity and purity of the flavors.

pupilindenial at 3:34PM on 10/01/07

Without question, it's Jacques Pepin.

wisekaren at 3:34PM on 10/01/07

My grandparents. They have their own farm where they raise all sorts of vegetables, fruits, legumes, rabbits, and chickens. I do not know anyone who can make a smoother sauce, more fragrant meatballs, and a more addictive lasagna than my grandmother. She speedily and expertly butchers rabbits yet has the lightest hand when making gnocchi. Delicious, plentiful, and never wasteful, their food is the most nourishing and makes me glow. Their dedication to producing food and cooking has shown me what it means to love. At ninety years old, they still work the land, make their own wine, and cook their own meals--I believe their devotion for their heirloom plants keeps them going.

Margherita at 3:41PM on 10/01/07

Alton Brown: he's smart and has a lot of common sense. And he's not a dumbass :-)

I also like Nigella because it's good to see someone who thoroughly enjoys eating the way she does.

corinne at 3:44PM on 10/01/07

Early on and to the present day, my mother. Also, in recent years, I have become a HUGE Julia Child fan.

linda at 3:47PM on 10/01/07

Iron Chef!!! It was the first food network show I ever saw and I loved it. It was so crazy, but in the end the food looked so good. From there I moved on to trying new foods and eating at new restaurants. That led to me learning how to cook beyond the standards my parents made as a kid to gourmet type food. If it wouldn't have been for those tapes of the Iron Chef, I'd probably be eating ramen tonight.

churchka at 3:48PM on 10/01/07

I have to say my mom too. Despite having rather some rather "middle America" taste (dip made from sour cream and french onion soup mix, anyone?), she discovered spices with a vengeance when I was a child, and had a home made meal on the table almost every day of my childhood. She taught me to try new things, because the worst case scenario involved tossing the food and going out to eat. She taught me to treble the spice amounts in most recipes. She taught me to love ethnic cuisine, and to search out small family run restaurants. She taught me to bake, and can, and to shop at the farmers' market in the summer, decades before it was common around here. Despite the fact that we have very different cooking styles and preferences, I would never have been half the cook I am today if I hadn't learned from her every day growing up.

Peasantwench at 3:50PM on 10/01/07

My old next door neighbor back in California, Victoria F., who introduced me to the joys of garlic bacon pasta.

Pineapplegate at 3:50PM on 10/01/07

My mother cooked all meals from scratch. We ate hearty, delicious meals. She enjoyed James Beard's recipes. She gave me "The James Beard Cookbook" revised version, the original published in 1959 and has a glossary of does and don'ts which includes:
"Follow instructions carefully at first. Once you are sure of a cooking process or recipe, then you can begin to experiment on your own".

elaine at 3:50PM on 10/01/07

Julia Child and Justin Wilson saturday mornings on PBS. Does that date me any ?

Colorado Jim at 4:04PM on 10/01/07

Please don't kill me for saying so- Rachael Ray got my started in learning to cook. I know she is oft reviled by foodies, but her stuff was easy, accessible and quick, all necessities when I was first learning how to saute and chop in grad school. I've moved beyond 30 Minute Meals these days, but without RR, I would still consider Hamburger Helper "cooking".

psychsarah at 4:13PM on 10/01/07

Years ago I dated a European who introduced me to new foods and could also really cook. I've been inspired ever since to constantly learn and try new things, and to make the perfect roast chicken that he made and was a staple for us for so many years!

Jeana at 4:15PM on 10/01/07

Most definitely my wife - who will likely get more out of the book than I will. She grew up in Portugal and Nicaragua, with Japanese parents - so our meals are truly international. In addition, she came to the US for college near Moosewood, and we've been in California for the past ten years, so there's that influence as well.

The only downside is that I rarely cook - I can't hold a candle to her innate and learned cooking skills...

stevea at 4:22PM on 10/01/07

My mom took the time and had the patience to show me that I, as a male, could cook just as well as any woman did. She still has favorites that she expects me to make her several times a year. I would not be near the cook I am if it were not for her willingness and patience with me in the kitchen. She gave me the confidence to branch out and experiment.
I also had a couple of favorites that I watched on PBS growing up. I know his career went down in flames because of personal problems, but I couldn't tear my self away from Jeff Smith's "The Frugal Gourmet." He and Martin Yan's "Yan Can Cook" showed me that cooking could be a fun and joyous experience. Today, Alton Brown fills that void in my television education. I love the scientific knowledge and history that he imparts with every episode.
All those people helped me get where I am today, but if it hadn't been for mom, I would never have taken my first step on this journey. Thanks mom. I love you and the Natchitoches meatpies are on the way.
Tommy

dukeofpornia at 4:28PM on 10/01/07

Elvis.

But more seriously, my sister. She's constantly trying crazy new recipes and techniques and it really inspires me to do the same.

crafty at 4:36PM on 10/01/07

Julia Child. I bought both volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking in my 2nd year of college, over 35 years ago. I think I've cooked something from them every month of my life since then.

doglover at 4:43PM on 10/01/07

I am inspired by my grandmother, a wonderful woman who fed her husband and five children on the raw milk, fresh meat, and produce grown on her upstate, NY dairy farm. If I learned innovation, I learned it from following her recipes : measurements are given in "pinches" and "palmfuls," and every flavoring is made "to taste," depending on the rainfall, and the resulting sugar content, of this year's blackberries.

KarynMC at 4:45PM on 10/01/07

My mom.

iyamapotato at 4:54PM on 10/01/07

The Kitchen God, my daddy.

dksbook at 5:00PM on 10/01/07

Deborah Madison..

LIRC at 5:05PM on 10/01/07

It would have to be my mom and dad. Mom for her, open the fridge, see what was there and boom, meal. Dad for his ability to transform sad looking leftovers into somthing entirely different and amazing.

mozart23 at 5:08PM on 10/01/07

The food network originators: Bobby Flay and Mario Batali (but never Emeril, can't stand that guy!)

They made it seem more accessible, like even if you didn't have experience, you could get right in there and do it yourself.

And they were right! :)

stephanieb at 5:17PM on 10/01/07

My mother & grandmother.

EmilySC at 5:23PM on 10/01/07

Many chose their mothers or grandmothers. My inspiration is my father. He cooked to be able to raise my sister and me. We are still weary of when our mother sets foot in a kitchen. Please, give us bread and water instead!

kwanito at 5:55PM on 10/01/07

My boyfriend. 7 years ago, I didn't know much at all about cooking, even though my mom is an excellent cook (she'd always say that I was the educated on in the family and I didn't need to learn how to cook). I wanted to learn to cook for my boyfriend...so I started. The first time I cooked for him, he could not stop the "mmm's" and nearly ate all that I cooked (I think I made like 8 servings). To this day he continues to react the same way to all my cooking and talks about it none stop to his friends. It gives me the inspiration and motivation to learn everything I can about cooking.

malenky at 5:56PM on 10/01/07

My mom, because she can't cook to save her life. Growing up with her made me want to learn what real cooking is. (Don't get me wrong, I love her...she just can't cook.)

madball911 at 6:07PM on 10/01/07

It had to be my mother. She's not the greatest cook, but she taught me the basic techniques I needed, and also made me cook my own food when I became a vegetarian at the age of 14. I'm always astounded when people are blown away that my cookies and muffins were actually made from scratch (and equally astounded that they dont realise how easy it is to cook from scratch!).

jennywenny at 6:22PM on 10/01/07

Paula Deen. I might not often turn to her recipes of fried fry, but I do admire her attitude, it reminds me to cook and eat whatever I darn well please!

tortor at 6:26PM on 10/01/07

Kieth (I think that's his first name) Floyd, of the Floyd On... series. Especially his willingness to not serve food if it turned out bad (my favourite moment is when he threw the food he'd spend 1/3 of the episode cooking on a boat overboard)

beanish at 6:32PM on 10/01/07

My greatest inspirations would undoubtedly be my parents. They were both great cooks in their own right and sitting down to an evening meal together was something that was and still is an integral part of my day. They instilled in me my love of food and the importance of sharing it with those you love.

bettygoodman at 6:59PM on 10/01/07

Definitely my mom. more than willing every night to put out a hearty healthy meal for the whole family without complain. I owe a lot to her.

zekks at 7:01PM on 10/01/07

Her name was Vera, and she was my mother's house help when I was a child. Against my mother's strict orders, she let me in the kitchen, let me chop, fry and ... taste. She was hungarian, and she made the best creamed spinach in the world. And for a 5-6 YO to love spinach,that's a rare thing,
Simona

simona at 7:08PM on 10/01/07

Julia Child. The way she taught made the most exacting recipes seem doable (is that a word?). And she showed her mistakes as well as how to recover from them.

jackiecat at 7:22PM on 10/01/07

My mom for most of the great homestyle Chinese dishes that I still try futilely to recreate and Julia Child and Jacques Pepin for most everything else - I spent many a weekend as a kid watching PBS!

youkosiren at 7:22PM on 10/01/07

My mother.

dikaryon at 7:38PM on 10/01/07

Marion Cunningham. Her writing and recipes are straightforward and always a pleasure.

Christina at 7:40PM on 10/01/07

Nigel Slater: through his books he tought me that food should not be fussy and ingredients should be respected and treated simply.

Eilen at 7:43PM on 10/01/07

My mom, who taught me how to make spaghetti sauce, her aunt, who taught me how to make chili con carne, and my dad, who taught me how to cook over an open fire. Little did I know he was actually clueless at the time.

twgray at 7:51PM on 10/01/07

Has to be my mom.

rugbyspartan at 7:58PM on 10/01/07

my mother. she pushed me into the kitchen and taught me all these skills while I grumbled. I didn't even realized I learned anything until I left for college and had to fend for myself.

she taught me to appreciate each separate flavor in a dish, how to cherish the simplicity of fresh ingredients, cooked til just done, not more, not less. She taught me to be adventurous and use my imagination in the kitchen.

I could go on forever about all that she's taught me about cooking.

mercuryhime at 9:14PM on 10/01/07

My late italian grandmother taught me to love cooking and food. David Rosengarten and Taste taught me to respect it.

0bs01337 at 9:22PM on 10/01/07

My dad! He is a chef, and even before I was interested in cooking I would be his sous chef, peeling garlic cloves and shucking corn when I was younger, roasting the vegetables and doing prep work for holidays when I was in high school and college. We run recipe ideas by each other and we love to eat together. I, too, could go on forever about what he's taught me.

Littlebluesiren at 9:43PM on 10/01/07

Claudia Fleming. Alice Medrich. Suzanne Goin.

NinaMW at 10:07PM on 10/01/07

My cooking inspiration is probably my grandmother.

She ran a small cafe in Mississippi when my mother was growing up. So her style was traditional, down home southern cooking and she imparted a lot of that to me when I spent time with her as a child.

I have fond memories of hearty staples like meatloaf, chicken fried steak, and pretty much anything covered in gravy :)

While I cook all over the map, its still these simple things that I return to time and time again and find so much solace in.

digitalburro at 10:32PM on 10/01/07

Mark Bittman.

Until my dear husband gave me MB's "How To Cook Everything" for Christmas 7 years ago, I was a slave to recipes. I was scared to vary too much from the prescription. I didn't understand how dishes came together, how to save them when they went wrong. I didn't trust myself to make do with what I had and to rely on my senses and intuition.

Thanks, Minimalist!

VickieDC at 11:34PM on 10/01/07

My dad. He's amazing.

platecleaner at 11:35PM on 10/01/07

My mother and my grandmother's were my first cooking inspirations.
My dad was the one who actually suggested that I attend Culinary school in the first place, so I can't leave him out!
The other person would have to be Patrick, my former boss, exec chef, mentor and friend. He took me under his wing as a "newbie" while I was in school and taught me so much.

Erinay77 at 12:43AM on 10/02/07

My Dad is a great cook, and is probably my single biggest inspiration. My cooking now is pretty different from his, but he definitely got me started.

Nicholas H at 1:30AM on 10/02/07

Hands down my Mom. She cooked and baked from scratch. She was unafraid of any ingredient no matter how bizare. Someone we knew once killed a bear ,his wife didn't want any part of it, but my Mom was game (no pun intended) I have to say it was one of the few things she ever made I couldn't eat.

peticook at 3:52AM on 10/02/07

My greatest cooking inspiration is this woman from the market in Hoi An... http://www.flickr.com/photos/sieburgm/127403840/

She makes the best Cao Lau (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sieburgm/68116867/) and the best Banh Xeo I've ever eaten. And she is remarkably friendly while she does it.

NSW at 8:09AM on 10/02/07

I'd have to say my father. He's second-generation Italian-American, and learned most of his cooking techniques from his mother, who was born in Sicily. It's all about fresh ingredients, nothing processed or packaged, and bright and interesting flavors.

DuncanHusky at 8:29AM on 10/02/07

My mom. She didn't know how to cook until she got married ; grew up in a very poor household, but now she's the best cook I know, and figured it all out on her own in a foreign country, having just moved to the U.S. No cookbooks, just by experimentation and taste.

mrsbao at 8:43AM on 10/02/07

my late stepmom, who had a "home ec" degree and put it to good use by rising up the ranks and becoming a vice president at a major food conglomerate. her background made her fearless of anything as long as she had a cookbook and the right equipment, and i love the way she used to write out her grocery shopping list to match the layout of the store and always made us draw the buffet for placement of everything we were having for parties. she had hundreds of cookbooks, but often turned to the hand-written family recipes from her family collection. i miss her big turkey production on holiday mornings, which always began with yards and yards of aluminum foil and a stick of better and ended with oyster dressing and gravy made with sieved hard-boild eggs. i hear her often over my should when my best friend and i enter into one of our ridiculous cooking projects, and we always toast to her when we finish and say, "jacquie would be proud of us!"

carriebwc at 9:32AM on 10/02/07

Alton Brown...I love that guy!

jkiller5150 at 9:42AM on 10/02/07

my mom

hedgehog at 9:52AM on 10/02/07

My husband who can take any random assortment of ingredients and miraculously whip up something delicious.

The Dinner Diva of SavingDinner.com whose menu mailer recipes led me through my first year or so of marriage and got me to the point where I am comfortable making a meal without a recipe as long as I have the basic components on hand (protein, starch, lean veggie, herbs/spices etc).

BakingBites.com--largely baking recipes, but she's got some great savory recipes thrown in there as well.

Kimberly at 9:54AM on 10/02/07

My Grandmother -- She cooked with love and determination -- some of my favorite memories include: her whipping up a small portion of home made noodle dough, plopping it on her small cutting board and making perfect pea sized drop dough noodles with lightning fast movement of her paring knife over a pot of boiling water. She would serve them to us tossed with browned butter; she made bagels that would make any New Yorker proud. Her food was amazing. Nothing too fancy but always perfectly made.

lakeloverhh at 10:46AM on 10/02/07

My uncle. Everything he makes is simple and slow and fresh!

angfarrell at 11:02AM on 10/02/07

Julia Child - really revolutionized the cooking at home movement. She introduced "complex" French techniques to the everyday household cook. On a non-related note, we went to the same college! :D

jpark107 at 11:05AM on 10/02/07

My grandparents were a great inspiration to me. My grandmother with her love of german food and my grandfather who excelled at grilling.

rudolfrassen at 11:05AM on 10/02/07

Undoubtedly my Grandma Shirley. She's 75+ years old and still cooks at our local high school everyday! You know those people who can open up what seems to be an empty refrigerator and make a 4 course meal in an hour? That's my grandma. A farmer's wife for most of her life, she knew how to feed everyone on a shoestring, there was always plenty and it was always yummy. We all fight over her simple homecook-fare like mac-n-cheese & chicken fried steak. Like me, she loves to pour over cookbooks and magazines looking for something new to try. Much of our family conversation turns to the foods we've cooked recently. We learned that from her.

lizzy3195 at 11:09AM on 10/02/07

Julia Child from whom I learned to make marvelous French food from ingredients available in the supermarket in the middle '60's. James Beard whose " How to Eat Better for Less Money" helped a young bride stretch the budget and still enjoy good food. Leon Soniat (La Bouche Creole) for teaching me to cook creole. I still have recipes of his that I cut out of The Times Picayune in the 60's. Paul Prudhomme who introduced me to the preparation of Cajun influenced food in "Louisiana Kitchen".

NO_Pam at 11:11AM on 10/02/07

My grandmother - I just wish I could have taken notes on some of the things she made.

sjwoodin at 11:18AM on 10/02/07

My greatest cooking inspiration would have to be Alton Brown. He is the last shining hope of Food Network because he's not on a cooking show to look good or give his restaurants press. He is there to actually teach how to cook, and he does that very well. His approach to food is so refreshing, waza to everyone else's kata. His improvisational manner makes recipes easier to cope with. He gives me confidence to learn to make tasty dishes without resorting to doctoring recipes with premade products. He also appeals to my curious nature by explaining the history and science behind cooking techniques. He really does elevate food beyond something that looks good on a plate, makes it something worthwhile.

Jikuu at 11:25AM on 10/02/07

I have a picture of myself at age seven standing on a chair to cook spaghetti, but it wasn't until I saw Martin Yan on public television in the 80s that I really started to get interested in cooking. I watched his show every day, and I tried to learn to cook Chinese food. Chinese food was new and mysterious. My mom cooked "American" food from her 1960's era cookbooks, and I lived in the Southwest so I had access to Mexican food, but nothing else. When Julia Child passed away recently I saw a lot of tribute to her and a lot of personal stories about how changed cooking. I never saw her show, but I immediately recognized the parallel of her legacy with people a little older than me versus the TV food personality I first saw.

schlake at 11:26AM on 10/02/07

My cooking inspirations are too many and to be mentioned. I cook passionately, if not well, but it is food writing that really gets me going. James Beard of coarse takes the cake, but there are contemporary food writers who are already going down in history books for their contributions. Anthony Bourdain, is a hero of mine, but if i had to name one it would be Ruth Reichl. Her descriptions are phenomenal and her books read like fictions. The woman is a master at her work.

acbearce at 12:02PM on 10/02/07

Jacques Pepin

spanklin at 12:38PM on 10/02/07

I know it's now politically incorrect, but Jeff Smith - the Frugal Gourmet. After years of enjoying learning from Beard, Child, and Pepin, it was the Frug who showed me the fun of cooking.

Scotty at 1:27PM on 10/02/07

Man oh man do I love me some Claiborne. Also Mimi Sheraton. And Pei Mei! I love Pei Mei.

aluapaluap at 2:02PM on 10/02/07

My friend Smitty, who showed me the possibilities that can be achieved with food and wine.

gmunger at 2:37PM on 10/02/07

My mother, from whom all four children--now all home cooks--learned to follow directions, try new foods, and learn from your successes and failures.

omnivore at 3:32PM on 10/02/07

my wallet. because if i wasn't so cheap, i wouldn't be inspired to cook instead of going out to eat.

but on a more real note, my mom who always takes care into everything she makes for us.

foodinmouth at 3:41PM on 10/02/07

My greatest inspiration was my mother - one of the great "traditional" Irish cooks: she could burn or boil with the best of them!

Learning to cook was a matter of survival!

topdog at 3:45PM on 10/02/07

I taught myself to cook in my early twenties from James Beards twinset -- Theory and Practice of Good Cooking and The New James Beard. I was young and broke in NYC and lived about four blocks from the Union Square Greenmarket (and was working as an editorial assistant on The Best of Gourmet and Gourmet's Best Desserts). I was so broke that learning to cook was my main entertainment -- one has to eat, after all. I loved Theory and Practice because it's organized by cooking method -- boiling, roasting, baking etc ...

Charlotte at 3:46PM on 10/02/07

My Grandfather. 85 and still going strong. He has spent his retirement traveling and learning more ways to cook all over the world.

gratefulted at 3:49PM on 10/02/07

Julia Child most radically changed the way I cooked and ate. She's my idea of God.

Tom Steele at 3:50PM on 10/02/07

My inspirations are my family: my mother because she always cooked nutritious but oh so good food. My grandmother because she made traditional Japanese dishes that I will always cherish. My greataunt who has such a fantastic love of food. And my husband who made sure I was very well fed when I was in school (and still makes sure I'm well fed now).

hungrychicken at 3:55PM on 10/02/07

My boyfriend Adam is my cooking inspiration. Since we moved in together, he has made me into a bonafide foodie. He cooks something exotic almost every night of the week, and his recipes are always taken from different sources and cultures. He has reinvented my palate and my way of approaching and enjoying food. I love him and, undoubtedly, what's for dinner tonight...

DabbaMac at 4:11PM on 10/02/07

My mom and grandma.

Tres2006 at 4:12PM on 10/02/07

Pepin, Pepin and Pepin. Also, Pepin.

Squab at 4:40PM on 10/02/07

my greatest inspiration is my belly. it dictates what i cook, and when i cook it. it's all about the cravings.

lexophile at 4:46PM on 10/02/07

on a personal level, my grandmother, who made such amazing, delicious traditional jewish dishes -- i can still taste her schav, chicken soup with kneidlach, liver knishes, mandelbrot, and cheese blintzes, although she's been gone for over 30 years.

on a professional level, joan nathan, amanda hesser, laurie colwin and edward espe brown have all provided me with recipes that i have been making for over 20 years.

cybercita at 8:16PM on 10/02/07

I am inspired by people like my friend Serena who can whip up great food from scratch with just the contents of her pantry.

Frances Magbual at 9:40PM on 10/02/07

My grandmother, who used to turn out dinner for 60 people (she ran a catering business out of her home when she had 5 children) while talking on the phone to her friends. I learned how to braid challah rolls from her as a child, and when my mother passed away, was on the phone almost every night with her learning how to feed the rest of the family.

hreisig at 10:11PM on 10/02/07

My mom, my grandma, my great-aunt Bay

justboycrazy at 10:50PM on 10/02/07

This might be...not quite what we're going for with this theme, but honestly? Other bloggers inspire me. I constantly find myself awed and challenged by what I see other foodies doing and talking about on their blogs. I love how one idea on one blog melds with another idea from another blog and then I have an idea for a new dish that I simply must make without delay. I love you guys!

EmmaC at 11:10PM on 10/02/07

*sheepish* my mother, to be honest. her mother didn't have time to teach her how to cook, but she cooks the most amazing Chinese dishes ever, and it comes from cooking from the heart, no recipes. She just fiddled until she got it right, and i love that about her!

uninorth at 11:20PM on 10/02/07

my late father was a big influence growing up. Now it's my sweetheart, mostly.

ironstef at 11:47PM on 10/02/07

My mother who instilled in me that you should never cut corners on quality when buying food, especially meat.

My mother-in-law who is ten times the cook that I will ever be. She is the only
person I can work in the kitchen and feel comfortable. Some times it actually feels like we are dancing because everything happens so smoothly. I think the most important thing I have learned from her is to trust my instincts when amending a recipe, even if it is the first time I am using it.

hsiafreak at 12:09AM on 10/03/07

mom, grandmas and my friends in high school.

lardarium at 1:00AM on 10/03/07

My mom and dad taught me to cook, but for inspiration I look to both Alton Brown (his show is the only worth spending a lot of time on @ food network) and the Test Kitchen cookbook. Both provide a lot of tips and tricks to getting good food and turning recipes into masterpieces...I would be lost in the kitchen without them.

jbs9576 at 1:38AM on 10/03/07

My great grandmother who cooked and baked regularly into her nineties. She had a habit of freely giving out recipes, but omitting one or two ingredients, making sure no one could make them quite like her. I spent hours watching her cook, and waiting for the cookies to cool. Yum.

dna90048 at 2:25AM on 10/03/07

That would be my mother. She has always been and will always be a fabulous cook in my mind. When I smell homemade pasta sauce or just onions cooking in some olive oil, memories of mom cooking in the kitchen fill my head. Now that I've finally found the passion to cook (in my 30s), we trade recipes and cook together when I come home to visit.

ehirschklau at 4:18AM on 10/03/07

my mom, we spent many many times in the kitchen baking and trying out new things that helped me realize how innovative cooking can be

pezbabypez at 7:59AM on 10/03/07

My husband, who taught me to appreciate food, and encouraged me to get in the kitchen.

Dee at 8:17AM on 10/03/07

I would have to say a college friend b/c she was the one who introduced me to some cooking basics.

PattyCho at 8:44AM on 10/03/07

The lunch lady at my high school. She told me not to eat here...go down the road to Burger King instead.

Bosmer at 10:04AM on 10/03/07

I am very fortunate to already own this fine book :) I know the 10 who win this book will enjoy every word as much as I. My inspiration comes from within---as I want to nourish myself well each day.

JEP at 12:11PM on 10/03/07

Great Grandma, Grandma, Mom - They all loved to cook. I still have all of their recipes and Mom and i still make ones from gg.grandma sometimes. I also still have many of Grandma's cookbooks including Julia, Craig and James. I'd love to add this one to the collection.

jo at 12:48PM on 10/03/07

My great-grandmother is an inspiration for all of my old-school homey Jewish foods like chicken soup, matzah balls, pot roast, etc. The internet is my biggest inspiration for trying to cook new things. I have a whole submenu of cooking sites on my computer just so I can keep track of what people are using and experimenting with. I love modern technology!

Stufsocker at 1:23PM on 10/03/07

My grandmother's soups, pies and roasts always satisfied me as a kid, but I'll have to blame Alton Brown for my latest inspirations.

weeyeasties at 2:13PM on 10/03/07

I love Ina Garten's recipes they are delish! I also appreciate the simplicity of Giada de Laurentis.

sln123 at 2:29PM on 10/03/07

My dad didn't cook many weekday dinners when I was growing up because he was busy working, but when the holidays came around I know we all looked forward to them all the more because he would finally take charge of the kitchen. There is nothing my dad can't make, but what's truly inspiring is how much he simply loves to cook. You can taste in his food. He taught me that, when it comes to the kitchen, the simple enjoyment of the experience is wonderful. He's the reason why I ever walked into the kitchen in the first place, and why making dinner is still my favorite part of the day.

stonehengegirl at 2:36PM on 10/03/07

My mom is my cooking inspiration. She grew up in a culture in which all recipes were handed down mother-to-daughter and nothing was ever written down. She always knew exactly how much of a spice to put in a dish to make it perfect and having grown-up in poverty, she always had special twists to her recipes that would give it more nutrition. My mom inspires me to cook and invent. Through her my love of the kitchen has blossomed, I cannot claim to have the basic instinct of cooking that my mom has, but I know that one day in the future I will be instilling the love of cooking to my own kids. I just need to remember to write all the recipes down!

chlamers at 4:02PM on 10/03/07

i'm inspired by any restaurant or home or place i visit, where you see the actual people behind the food. Not literally, although often that is the case. But when one comes away with a memorable experience and you say, "I really like what they are doing here." It's those people who have created a je nais se quoi that is very admirable.

cmyk_girl at 4:26PM on 10/03/07

I would definitely have to say Chris Bianco. Eating at his restaurant 10 years ago opened my eyes to the possibilities of food done simply and well.

chasgoose at 5:31PM on 10/03/07

Clotilde from Chocolate and Zucchini! I love her.

Keely at 5:38PM on 10/03/07

I'd always thought that I was a good cook - and probably was - but....

when I moved to San Francisco, I was introduced to cooking classes. I did an internship with a cooking school and learned much about scratch cooking and making stocks and sauces to augment my dishes.

Being able to see and work with professional cooks was such a help and the cans, boxes and bags gave way to ultra fresh produce aand quality ingredients.

over time, I have continued taking classes and had the thrill of doing a week of classes with Jim Beard and Marion Cunningham a couple of years before he died. An unforgettable experience. I continue to read and learn and have been more able to influence my daughters to try new recipes and methods. In short, I feel fortunate to have taken my mom's ideas a step further.

suegsf at 5:41PM on 10/03/07

I am going to have to say myself. I am not pulling inspiration from anywhere in particular, but pulling it from anywhere i can get it, which tends to be from within.

Eroca at 5:48PM on 10/03/07

Alton Brown - Watching his show as a teenager first opened up my mind to the notion of creative cooking. Before that, seeing my mother cook and looking through cookbooks, food and recipes were little more than manuals that had to be followed piece by piece. It wasn't until I saw his show and saw how cooking could be based around basic ingredient categories and cooking techniques that I started to understand the creation of cuisine as a form of expression; one with foods and methods as the colors and brushes of the chef's palette.

binlu at 6:35PM on 10/03/07

My father is my biggest inspiration when it comes to cooking. He wouldn't cook every night but he always did the best celebration and holiday meals. I still crave his Paella every summer.

slashchef at 6:45PM on 10/03/07

My greatest cooking inspiration is my mother. I only wish I had the chance to have her teach me how she made her piecrusts (among other things), but sadly, she passed away 24 years ago at the young age of 51. She was an amazing cook, coming home after working all day to put a great meal on the table for the 8 of us (Mom, dad, and 6 kids), along with 2 or 3 homemade cream pies! I will forever be in awe of her.

amylou61 at 8:34PM on 10/03/07

My grandmother. She had 10 kids, but for the few years that I lived with her, there were only 4 of us in the house. Yet she still cooked for 12+. And it was good too

anado at 8:54PM on 10/03/07

My wife! She's opened my eyes to so many foods that are new to me, and I've done the same for her. We inspire each other.

hotsaucedaily at 6:25AM on 10/04/07

David Bruce who was the chef at the first restaurant I worked at in high school. He taught me about knives and the importance of fresh food.

alsek at 10:02AM on 10/04/07

Julia Child, who I used to hole-up in the basement and watch on sunny afternoons when the other kids were out playing. My parents were so worried.

And my friend Fen, who introduced me to James Beard's books and other Beard trivia during our many stays in Gearhart, Oregon.

GregWA at 10:53AM on 10/04/07

My cousin Annie. Despite coming from an asian family where only doctors and lawyers are revered as legitimate professions, she pursued her love for food. Being disowned did not deter her from somehow finding a way to pay for a fabulous food education at the CIA in New Hyde Park. Years after she graduated, I went with her to the Cordon Bleu in Pasadena and met Julia Child, got a chefs apron signed by our dearly departed Ms. Childs and my life was changed forever. It's my prized possession and my love for food has created a voracity for food knowledge.

foodiegirl at 2:48PM on 10/04/07

My pops. He was self-taught and cooked the majority of our meals when I was growing up. Amazing griller, smoker, roaster and baker. Plus, his love of plants and gardening spilled over to the table in the form of fresh vegetables, pears and apples grown in our backyard.

But mostly because he made eating a family event. Everyone helped in the kitchen. Everyone ate together. Everyone had fun.

tuzenbakh at 3:16PM on 10/04/07

I'm gonna have to go with my stomach on this one. It inspires me to cook pretty much every few hours.

Ambrose_Slade at 5:11PM on 10/04/07

Another vote for mom!

cher48603 at 5:43PM on 10/04/07

My very dear Chinese grandparents, who are directly responsible for nearly everything I consider comfort food.

And more recently, Dorie Greenspan and Robyn, who inspire me to cook/eat all sorts of things that would have otherwise missed my radar. :)

miso at 5:44AM on 10/05/07

Mom, who isn't just a good cook, but a true food lover, easily excited by great ingredients, adventures in new cuisines, and the memory of perfect meals gone by.

AlexRaine at 10:58AM on 10/05/07

My roommate med school roommate Taz from Pakistan. He taught me how to cook some mean curries!

mazzio at 2:03PM on 10/05/07

If I have to pin it to anyone, it's my parents! When I was young, Mom did all of the cooking (except for a lot of the grilling), and then when she went back to work (I was 8 or so), she'd do some prep for me, but I made dinner many nights, consulting with her by phone. Then in my early adolescence, Dad started a consulting biz and worked from home, and he took over the grocery shopping and lots of the meals. So they both contributed! The food/wine DNA is from my dad, though--and Mom still says "I taught her everything she knows and then she far surpassed me in the kitchen!" :-)

Curlz at 2:07PM on 10/05/07

I would have to say Julia Child. Those detailed recipes help me to be more confident and relaxed. And I subscribe to her whole attitude towards food.

chungle at 7:14PM on 10/05/07

my mom and my aunt. before i was born, my mom (and dad) worked their way through many "classic" cookbooks (i.e.: julia child, julie sahni, etc.) and managed to teach themselves the techniques of french, indian, and other cuisines, just becaus they could. my aunt had a successful bakery in minneapolis for some time and worked at the silver palate in new york without having ever gone to culinary school. every time i cook, i aspire to open new doors and learn things through experience.

emmab at 7:35PM on 10/05/07

Chris Kimball here.

jamesl8n at 9:37AM on 10/06/07

My Italian immigrant grandparents: Grandpa would grow the produce in his backyard, teaching me at an early age that the freshest ingredients make all the difference in the world. Then Grandma would spend all day cooking, letting me help, and having to be "yelled at" ("Ange! Siddown!") to sit down and enjoy her own work.

flootsmith at 10:25AM on 10/06/07

Gotta go with Mom on this one

mmiller at 5:06PM on 10/06/07

Thanks to everyone for commenting and congrats to our winners:

hotsaucedaily
beanish
justboycrazy
uninorth
topdog
gratefulted
kwanito
souldawg
jenjw4
hreisig

roboppy at 5:38PM on 10/08/07