• I find food to be, first and foremost, a medium for well-being;
• it is such via the properties of nutritional value, set and setting, integration with the surrounding community, and the simple, universal, pleasure of eating;
• cooking is an act of love, devotion, and humility. It is caring for others and oneself;
• cooking for others is in same measure a privilege and a responsibility.

My personal guidelines for cooking are:

• assess the number of people to feed, their preferences and limitations; find a suitable common ground among all;
• assess the available space and equipment;
• assess the available foods and ingredients, and consider factors like seasonality, availability, and ethics of production;
• unless in a very specific situation that demands it, I prefer not to cook what I'd rather not eat (dairy, fish and meat);