Creative Connections Cookbook

I grew up on the Southside of Atlanta, Ga (College Park). I attended North Clayton High School, which has a very diverse culture of students and helped me to learn and appreciate different styles of cooking. After high school, I attended Georgia Military College then Savannah State University, where I played football at both schools. While at GMC, I learned how to cook down-home comfort foods. While at SSU, I learned different ways to prepare seafood and coastal dishes. After college, I lived in Charlotte, NC where I played football, got my bartending license, and learned the Carolina way of barbecuing. From there, to have a stint in the military and then railroad. This allowed me to again to be around and learn a vast variety of ways to cook. However, I grew a passion for cooking and creating different styles of dishes from an early age. Growing up, watching and learning from my grandmother in Orangeburg, SC, and other family members throughout the South, as well as my mother at home and my step-mother Janice. I also had a lot of male influence, who took me under their wing and schooled me on how to prepare and cook different style of foods. For example, different ways of American homestyle, Asian, European cuisines, different styles of Spanish, etc. When people ask me the question, ＂What is your favorite or best thing to make?＂, I always answer, ＂Well, what do you have a taste for?＂. I have one child, Brittany ＂Munch Munch＂ Thomas who now attends Savannah State University. Through all vicissitudes of residence and travel, which helped sharpen my culinary skills, I still live on the Southside of Atlanta in Peachtree City, Ga where I am a private consultant, artist, TV host, now author.