I am absolutely captivated by people, by the Human race. Remarkable creatures, with knobbly joints and bulbous brain baskets, gallivanting across the girth of the globe and daring enough to transmit their memes across the synapses of the young and impressionable. And that includes me, hopefully on both ends of transmission.

Here are some people who have influenced and inspired me in the kitchen (and elsewhere, as life would have it) in rough order, not necessarily of importance.

  • My mom – the best cook I know.
  • Yiayia – Sorry, yiayia – mom wins.
  • Theia Neni – Ditto. But I still love you both. ;)
  • Marco Pierre White – for helping me realize that food is remarkable, and that food’s qualities must be approached both scientifically and with an almost mysticism.
  • Gordon Ramsay – Despite being portrayed as a complete ass on American television, I’ve learned a lot about being a leader from Mr. Ramsay. To lead effectively, you must take responsibility and react appropriately. Whether it be inspiring someone with a bollocking or with a sincere compliment, this man knows how to inspire people to get things done.
  • Anthony Bourdain – partly to blame for my “try anything twice” philosophy, especially when you’re eating food that someone specifically prepared for you. To almost every culture in the world but American, it is offensive to not eat when offered food.
  • Jamie Oliver – quick, fresh food, home-grown – wholly inspirational. It’s exciting to put food production back into our own hands!
  • Mario Batali – made me realize that food is regional, everywhere, for a reason – and that we should embrace what we’ve got, when we’ve got it.
  • Julia Child – my youth was filled with her shrill voice and excuses for drinking sherry – an excuse in  which I fully partake in today
  • Alton Brown/Heston Blumenthal – double whammy science overload! They explained the hows and whys of cooking with diagrams, experiments, and logic.

To everyone on the list: You’ll probably never read this (except maybe mom and theia), but thanks anyhow. Hopefully I can inspire others as you have inspired me.