During the summer of 2014, my Dad grew some golden ghost peppers in our garden. These were some really tasty, fruity and hot peppers. When I first tasted them the heat built up gradually for a minute and the sweet flavor evolved with the heat.

I'll be 62 this year, and have been in the food business since I was 14. I've done just about any and every job. Until my late twenties I worked in all manner of professional kitchens from delis and the Bethesda Naval Hospital mess hall to fine dining establishments all over the country.