Obviously its a necessity to feed ourselves, but im talking deeper here. What inspires you? Who are your muses? What beyond the basic need to eat keeps you excited about food?

I am endlessly inspired by Nigella Lawson and her entire ethos around cooking. "Food is both a pleasure palace and a sanctuary." "Cooking is a balm in troubled times." "Food has the ability to make a real difference, every single day." So many amazing quotes of hers ring around my head when im in the kitchen.

For me, cooking is spiritual, practical, creative and scientific all at once. It gets me on my feet, off my screen, and allows me to nourish myself and those I love. It requires all of my senses and no matter how practiced a recipe is there is always an element of improvisation.

I could go on, but im much more curious....why do you cook?

I'm currently super into Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters and Mexican Today by Pati Jinich. Vegetables is just so useful, I use it as a reference all the time now. And there are so many great ideas! This is my first Pati book and I have to say her food is phenomenal. Everything I've made has been a 9 or 10/10. And she is just a total delight to top it off.

What about yall? Any books in heavy rotation right now?