Grandma's Kitchen
Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of me sitting on the windowsill above the counter in my Grandma's kitchen, watching her cook delicious Sicilian food. My Grandma was a wonderful cook and she taught my mom and aunts everything they know.
My Mom and aunts continued that tradition, welcoming me into the kitchen whenever I wanted to help. Whether it was adding ingredients to the pot, stirring the sauce, or most importantly tasting the dish multiple times. Nowadays whenever I try something I like that my family makes they say "El Exigente approves!", I've been told it's a sarcastic reference to an old commercial LOL.
My dad surprisingly was actually a pretty good baker and cook; though he only knew a couple of recipes they were very good. More importantly he taught me what it was to be an honorable man and what it meant to be a great father.
From Circuits to Cookies
Many years later I graduated from UCONN with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and while I love solving technical problems during the day, my evenings are always spent back in the kitchen testing new recipes.
What started as a hobby quickly became an opportunity. I found myself testing recipes late into the night, bringing batches to friends and family, and getting the same reaction every time: "You should sell these!" Eventually, I realized they were right.
"As a kid I always loved chemistry as well as electrical stuff; if I didn't do electrical engineering I certainly would have done chemical engineering. If you think about it baking is a form of less dangerous chemistry."
Today, I combine my engineering precision with the lessons I learned from my Grandma, Mom, Dad, aunts, and most importantly Jesus Christ. Every batch is a tribute to the people who taught me that the secret to good cookies is always love (Also how they taste and look).