I do not like to be wrong. But, cooking, I was wrong about you. I thought you and I were not made for each other. You took time, where I thought I had none, and I couldn’t see what you offered in return. For years, I actually told people (myself included) that I hated cooking. I have two roommates who have a gift for reading recipes and finding flavor and all-around winging it. I have a gift for opening the wine and doing the dishes. They make great food, I make things fun and clean.

Then, the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen and Alison Roman entered my life. I became attached to this family of happy food people, spending hours watching every minute of instruction they offered (and, later, listening to each podcast episode and reading every page of the magazine). I thought I was there for the bright personalities and the colorful dishes. I thought my relationship with the kitchen remained rocky. Little did I know, I was learning.