Kitchen Chemistry

I'm a home cook. Not a chef — a home cook. There's a difference. Chefs care about technique. Home cooks care about whether you went back for seconds.

When I saw his profile prompt answer — "The way to win me over is... cook something for me, even if it's just scrambled eggs" — I knew I had to match with him.

Our first date was supposed to be dinner at a restaurant. Instead, I invited him to my apartment and made my grandmother's pasta recipe. Bold move? Maybe. But I wanted to see if he'd sit at my kitchen counter and talk to me while I cooked, or if he'd awkwardly wait in the living room.

He sat at the counter. He asked questions about every ingredient. He insisted on doing the dishes. And when he tasted the pasta, he closed his eyes and said, "This is the best thing I've ever eaten," and I could tell he meant it.

Now we cook together every Sunday. He's gotten good — really good. Last week he made a Thai curry from scratch that made me tear up (partly the chili, partly the love). We document our meals in a shared photo album called "Sunday Kitchen."

Food is how I show love. And he showed up hungry.