Tim Schmitt of Inverness

Tim Schmitt, 66, developed a passion for cooking about six or seven years ago. "I always liked to cook, but now I love to cook," the Inverness resident said. He pours over the Daily Herald's food section every Wednesday, and on Saturdays, you'll catch him deep into The Wall Street Journal's food pages. "I do all of the grocery shopping and evening meals for my wife and I," Schmitt said, enamoring himself to wives everywhere. "I try to mix up what I serve and start with what looks good at the produce section at Mariano's; then I proceed to the proteins - fish and seafood and then meat." The couple has salad four or five times a week, and then there are vegetables and a starch with each meal. "Fresh is the name of the game," Schmitt said, "seasoned properly and cooked to the correct temperature. Lately, I have been using my Himalayan salt block on the grill quite a bit."

Schmitt, who works at Inverness Consulting Group LTD, is keen on extra-virgin olive oil, his current favorite ingredient. "I use it as the base for my vinaigrettes, sauces of all types, and I use it to sauté or bake vegetables like fingerling potatoes and so much more." What you won't find in his pantry are potato chips (because they're a guilty pleasure that he cannot resist) and eggplant ("not a fan").

Schmitt can't wait to start chopping. "I like to compete and hope to win to prove that I have become a pretty good cook."

- Jacky Runice