Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Thanks to everyone for commenting and congrats to our winners:

hotsaucedaily
beanish
justboycrazy
uninorth
topdog
gratefulted
kwanito
souldawg
jenjw4
hreisig

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.

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.

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!" :-)

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.

Another vote for mom!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.