I grew up in a household where both of my parents worked full time jobs. My father worked mid-night shifts for most of my childhood.   This left my mother to manage two unruly boys from sun up to bedtime. We tested her patience hourly! Food was considered a commodity to receive nourishment and keep healthy. It wasn't something that we experimented with much. My mother had little time to try new dishes on us much less convince us to eat anything that we weren't used to. I always asked too many questions about the food and my little brother hated everything green. She counted a clean plate as a win daily.

My food moment came when I left home. I remember being challenged to explore food when working in the dining services department at an upscale retirement community. The Chef seemed to make it his personal mission to evaluate my palate and push me to try new items. Every staff meal he plated for me contained something I had not requested. He always replied to my look of horror with, "oh just at least try it!" Come to find out, items I had always perceived as something that would be awful, were actually quite tasty. Chef Pennington's determination paid off and opened my mind to "at least try it!" This became my attitude toward new foods that eventually turned me into a foodie I consider myself today.