There are few things more satisfying that creating something from scratch with your own bare hands. It also helps when other people look at what you have created with a real level of admiration. That may be why so many people are drawn to the arts, with writing and painting high on the list. One pastime that doesn’t seem to fall into that category, but which should belong, is cooking. As much as food seems to be all about the mouth and the nose, it is also all about the eyes. Seeing a beautifully plated meal set before you is often enough to get your mouth watering before you take a taste. Professional cooking is all about delivering a meal that attacks all the senses, but home cooks may very well just be satisfied with being able to make one or two of them appeal to the diners they are serving. It used to be that an aspiring home cook had tom pore over books of recipes, meticulously following each step in hopes that it will turn out right. Many of those old cook books didn’t even have pictures, meaning that the cook was basically flying blind. That all changed with the expansion of cable TV and the introduction of the internet, where it quickly became apparent just how many people were passionate about food and cooking, and before long there were TV networks and websites dedicated to all things cooking, with recipes readily available at the click of a mouse. Not only did this allow people to actually see the food being prepared, it also gave them the opportunity to choose the celebrity chef’s that they most identified with. Watching the pros in action on TV and cooking along with them made the average home cook feel like a sous chef in a bustling 5-star restaurant. The TV spotlight has now turned to those home cooks who really started to hone their craft thanks to all the recipes and information made available to them. There are now numerous shows that have cooking amateurs going against one another to win a major prize. For most who compete, this is the ultimate way to express the joy that they experience when they create beautiful meals based on recipes they have memorized or perhaps even some that they have come up with on their own. It’s not everyone that needs that type of spotlight, with many home cooks just happy to see their family devour every drop of food on their plates. The point is that cooking means different things to different people. Some find joy in recreating classic recipes, while others strive to reach the levels of the chefs they so admire. So, where do you fall? What is it about cooking that keeps you heading back to the kitchen every day? Please take a moment to share what it is you love about cooking and what your ultimate goal is in the field of food.