Dawn works in human resources, but she’d like to be a computer technician. She has a knack for fixing things. In fact, her favorite thing to do on her days off is to work on home improvements, including roofing, tiling, plumbing and cabinet building.

Dawn’s next project is the kitchen. “I look forward to remodeling the kitchen to accommodate our cooking,” she explains. “My husband and I both like to cook.”

Some things, however, are almost impossible to improve—such as the chicken and noodles, deviled eggs and cream puffs that earn Dawn continual praise.

Arlene, a certified paralegal, has had a successful career for more than 20 years. She’s had equal success in the culinary field, serving up crawfish fettuccine and New Orleans-style Creole pralines to grateful friends and family. In fact, her pralines are so popular that even strangers request them.

“I found that people liked them so much that I was able to turn it into a small side business,” she says. “I do really well with them around holidays, and I also make them for corporate gifts.”

If the thought of delicious Southern cooking makes your mouth water, Arlene recommends visiting two Louisiana cities: New Orleans and Lafayette. “They both have such great restaurants, the likes of which are found nowhere else on the map.”

“I love Mexican food,” says Jill. If you feel the same way, consider stopping by the city of Cabo San Lucas on your next trip to Mexico. Both Jill’s favorite vacation and 50th birthday celebration took place in the city, and she highly recommends the restaurants there.

If she’s not enjoying Mexican food, Jill might be cooking with East Asian ingredients—namely, edamame. “Edamame beans are a new favorite food; I just love them.”

With culinary inspiration from opposite sides of the world, what kind of dish is Jill best known for? “It’s hard to pick a particular one,” she says. “I grill, roast and bake a lot of different dishes.”

Barb, a compliance specialist, shares her “best” side with the Cooking Club community:

Best new kitchen tool? “A spoonula! I got one for Christmas and it’s my new go-to tool. I don’t know how I lived without it.”

Best kitchen success? “Steak Diane with fillet mignon.”

Best culinary influence? “A combination of many Food Network stars.”

Best accomplishment? “Rescuing two basset hounds!”

Best kind of vacation? “Eat, sightsee, eat, shop, eat, hike, eat.”

As a union carpenter, Scott understands the importance of having the right tool for the job. Someday, he’d like to permanently trade his measuring tape for measuring cups. “I love to cook for people,” he explains.

Even though Scott isn’t a full-time chef yet, he’s already earned recognition for his special garlic shrimp and vodka sauce.

In addition, his talent with turkey has brought him great praise. “On Thanksgiving I grill and deep-fry a turkey for the troops, and I was given a certificate of appreciation,” he says.

 Phyllis Riegel

 In her parish, Phyllis is not only known as the secretary but also as the creator of an award-winning chili served at the church’s cook-off.

Of course, not every recipe turns out so perfectly. Phyllis confesses, “When I was first married, I made a marble cake, and it turned out like marble (very heavy and dry).”

Over the years, Phyllis and her husband have traveled the country and the globe together. They spent their 25th wedding anniversary in Germany and their 50th in Rhode Island. With so much experience in different cuisines, which city does Phyllis appreciate most? “Chicago,” she says, “because it has every type of restaurant you’re in the mood for.”