OK, yes — this whole fascination with food started at a pretty early age. I grew up in a decent-sized, typical family in western Michigan and South Carolina. My mother was an avid cook, baker, gardener, and preserver of foods, who not only kept us fed, but educated us in home economics along the way. Dad was the master griller and Saturday pancake king. They provided for a good childhood with many indelible, fond food memories from bountiful family dinners to lobster rolls at an authentic seaside shack.

After my college years, I ended up going for another round at New England Culinary Institute to focus on my passion for food — and anything remotely tied to it. Cheffin’ about the country, from working at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples to running a little farm-to-table restaurant on picturesque Orcas Island outside of Seattle, I eventually found my way back home to Michigan.

Combining my intense interest in all things culinary and my love for photography, I leveraged my hands-on skills in the food world and employed my inner creative — cooking and styling food for visual content. Food that, ironically, nobody eats — lightly touched or manhandled — after a long day’s shoot. Oddly satisfying my culinary visions and honing my talents styling food some 15 years later, I come to you as Walnut . . . but you can call me Rossy.

This little guy would love to talk with you!