My recollections of the first time I entered the spacious, bustling kitchen of Villa Joe's restaurant brings me back a long stretch of years. I was twenty years old when I stepped into the dynamic heart of the restaurant. I was simply dazzled by the abundance of food, cooked and uncooked, in escalating stages of preparation, all being assembled, concocted, confected into forms creatively visual and delectable. As a promising fashion designer I was enthralled by the scene so artistic in my eyes. I saw a palette of colors, the modeling of textures and contours as if designed and draped at a...