Once again, welcome to my website. My name is Michael Martin (a.k.a, Chef Michael). I am an Italian/French-American born 1971, in Brooklyn, NY. I grew up watching the women of my family, mainly my Grandmother who was a wonderful chef. She worked in Mamma Leone's back in the day as well as other reputable establishments. This website and all of my ideas and recipes a dedication to my grandmother. She was a wonderful person as well as a fantastic chef. I miss her and my Grandfather every day. R.I.P

 I have been cooking for the better part of my life. I really enjoy challenging myself in the kitchen to come up with new and exciting recipes. I do not have any formal training in the Culinary Arts, but that does not by any means say that I am inexperienced in the kitchen. I have a deep passion for cooking and I cook mainly what I consider Italian dishes, all of which are my own recipes. I usually come up with new recipes at the spur of the moment. Sometimes, when I am unfamiliar with a dish, I will look at a recipe to get a general idea and adopt it to be my own, but for the most part I usually come up recipes right on the spot. I learned early on that moderation and patient's is the key to a good recipe as well as good balance of herbs and spices. All too often I hear the same question from people. "Where do I come up with my ideas?" The truth is I have no clue. All I really know is that most all of my recipes turn out to be delicious. I am not saying that I am perfect in the kitchen, not by any means. I have made my fair share of screw-ups.

One of my favorite things to cook is lamb. A lot of people don't like lamb due to it having a gamey flavor but I found the secret. When cooked properly and with the right combination of herbs and spices as well as to the correct temperature it is delicious. 

Many of you may be wondering why I made this website. The simplest answer to that question is, on a daily basis I have a lot of people that I know asking me for recipes. That being said I decided that the easiest and best way to share my recipes would be a website where all of my recipes are readily available. Now anyone can get their hands on my cookbook. This website is not only for my recipes alone. Anyone can share their own recipes and ideas. I plan on posting as much information in regards to cooking as possible.

If anyone is wondering yes I do consider myself to be a chef by my definition. Anyone who is imaginative in the kitchen and not afraid to think outside the box is a chef in my book. I do not expect anyone else to consider me a chef. I do not feel that anyone should be considered to be a chef just because they have a high priced education and run some big fancy kitchen. Anyone can follow a recipe, but to come up with your own is something special.

Advertising: You may have noticed that my site does not contain any ads. The reason for this is because I pay for my hosting and domain on my own. I don't have any support through advertising to help pay for any of it. I refuse to place ads on my site because I feel that people see enough advertising all over other sites on the internet. If you like my site and would like to show your support please feel to make a donation to my PayPal account. Contact me directly for the information. Thanks again for visiting. Have a wonderful day. 

Chef Michael