It is with all modesty I can say that, today, I am a bit of a gourmet cook. It just wasn’t something I (or anyone else) expected. My culinary tastes have admittedly changed quite a bit over the years.

As a young child, I was a picky eater. I knew just by looking at something that it wasn’t going to taste good. One day, my mother drew the line in the sand. I was not going to be excused from the dinner table until I at least tasted a brussels spout. I fell asleep in my chair without a spout ever passing by my lips. My mom never tried that tactic again.

As a grade schooler, my go-to favorite food was Chef Boyardee’s Spaghetti-Os.  I’m not sure that even qualifies as food but I sure loved it back in the day.

As a college student on a budget I learned how to cook with limited funds. Some of my inventions were successful. Most were not.  Public service announcement: Making a grilled cheese sandwich on a clothes iron is not recommended.

As a bachelor after college, I entered my one pot casserole days. I would make something that would feed six and then live on the leftovers for a week. Spaghetti was popular then… sometimes I could even afford sauce.

Then I got married and discovered a brand new world of gastronomical delights. But one day my wife caught me watching Giada De Laurentis (pictured above) on the Food Network. I told her it was because of her recipes. And that’s how I became a gourmet cook.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit http://www.homevideostudio.com/mtd.