In the Beginning

Little did I know that a simple, last minute decision to add canned olives to an otherwise ordinary baked penne casserole would set free my culinary aficion still unbeknownst to me at the time.

It was the last weekend in August of 2001 and I had just moved into my apartment on San Gabriel in Austin. I had my own kitchen (to be fair, I shared the kitchen with two roommates, but they both quickly came to realize whose territory those precious few square feet really belonged to), a freezer full of meat (courtesy of mom and dad), and nothing but time on my hands until the fall semester of my sophomore year kicked off (the party invitation inbox was disappointingly sparse).

One thing led to another and our table found itself surrounded by beautiful ladies nice enough to bring dessert. Pasta was served, stories unfolded, and laughter filled the room with abundance. Who knew that a can of olives and a mere invitation to dinner could lead to such a joyous evening?

The roommates were in agreement - we had to do this again.