Steven Lambert:  

I wish I could say that my life has been one well executed plan, but the fact is it has been ad libbed jazz most of the way. I had a few plans I was lucky enough to be able to stick to "just long enough" to make a better go of things. The years between high school and 26 would refocus me. Alot of very positive changes came out of the toughest and painful experiences. By far the hardest thing I did was work fulltime to support a young family while carrying 12-15 hrs per quater at OSU. The Ohio State experience kicked my rear pretty good, as did culinary school, but I got through it. How I came by the wonderlust that influnce my future so prominently I will never know. That and chance or Gods hand directed the rest of my life. I fathered three sons and a step-son. Shawn 38, Erik 33 (as of this writing 5/14/09) Christopher 30 and Jason forever 17. We lost him in 1997 to an auto accident. Have three grandchildren, Arrie 12, Zachery, 7 and Kathleen almost two. I am married to Connie Hager Lambert, my wife and almost constant companion for 35 years now. As a chef, I worked and lived throughout the USA. Started in Ohio and worked in Helena, Montana, New Orleans, LA, Naples, FL, Biloxi/Gulfport, MS to name but a few. We also had an opportunity to live and work in Europe in Wuerzburg, Kitzingen and Munich, in Bavaria, Germany and Chamonix, France and Milan, Italy briefly due to an exchange program between the US Gov't (my employer at the time) and the French and Italian railroads, who own and operate one hotel and restaurant in each of their cities to ensure travelers at least one good place to stay and eat. I have been able to entertain and befriend a good number of celebrties. Don Rickles with whom I shared a few meals and cigars. Patty and Eric Shinseki, a Colonel commanding the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division when I knew him and ex-Secretary of Veteran Affairs in Pres. Obama's cabinet. He was reserved and the most intellectually capable and honorable officer I ever knew, and I got to know dozens of general officers very well. All of them wonderful people. Along the way I learned to play the French Horn. Don't know whether I'm better on trumpet or the horn. It's a certainty there's room for improvement on both! Time demands a price of us all and from working chefs it's usally the knees that begin to cause problems. Some reinvention of myself was in order. I couldn't stand on the hard floors for hours on end anymore. We looked into getting a porta...Expand for more