Taylor Park @ the Loft Cafe and Social Lounge (EDMONDS)

When did you realize you could cook?
When I was 7 years old. My parents came up with the rule that whoever cooked dinner didn't have to do the dishes. That was my inspiration. I hated doing the dishes!

How did your career in the culinary world unfold?
I always thought cooking was fun. I started off with simple forgiving dishes, spaghetti, chicken and rice, etc. Later I moved on to pastries and that's where fun turned into the ability to make money, thanks to my friend's parents who tried my cheesecake one day when they came over and later paid me to make them one. In high school, I would sell my creations upon request by neighbors and my parents' friends. This created the idea of becoming a chef. I went to culinary school and have been in Virginia, R.I., Georgia and the Caribbean before here.

What led you to the Loft?
Craig's List. In all honesty, I had never even heard of Edmonds until I found the ad on that Web site.

What or who inspires you when you cook?
The changes in season or the discovery of a new product mostly. I also get a lot of influence from chefs in N.Y.C., Chicago and abroad.

How often do you change the menu at the Loft?
For those dishes that do change, I try and keep them synchronized with the seasons. We have a fair amount of non seasonal items which have become somewhat of our signature dishes. So in order to please our regulars, we do as little as possible to change them.

How would you describe the menu at the Loft for potential customers? What can people expect?
Northwest cuisine with a heavy Mediterranean influence.

Do you have a culinary specialty?
Not so much a specialty, but like most chefs, more a passion and desire to learn everything one can about techniques and flavors.

What is your passion outside of work?
My family and my newborn son.

Do you ever get tired of cooking?
Cooking meals for up to 300 people sometimes can be exhausting, so in that aspect, yes! But creating new dishes and cooking for family and friends, never! Those to me are some of the best things in life.

What is a guilty pleasure for you?
Top Pot apple fritters and a Dick's cheeseburger. They're both strangely addictive!

Do you have a favorite fast food restaurant? If so, where and what do you order?
Around here, Dick's. I order a cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake. If I'm back on the East Coast, it's Chick-fil-A.

What are your favorite kitchen gadgets?
It's a toss up between my Vita-Prep blender and spice grinder.

What are two traits you think every great chef must possess?
Passion and patience.

What do you enjoy most about being a chef?
The ability to create.

What has been your greatest success and biggest setback?
Career-wise, moving out to Seattle has been my biggest success. Everywhere I've been I've experienced something new, exciting, educational and insightful. A lot of things exist out here that aren't on the East Coast where I'm from. I've been here for almost five years now and it's been amazing. As far as setbacks, I'm not one to dwell on the negative so anything that someone might consider a setback I consider a learning experience and something to better my life from.