A journalist, actually.

[He raises his voice over the sudden hiss of the oil as he spoons in the fritters to deep-fry, then lays the patties on the hot griddle that takes up half of his range.]

But I did a lot of food journalism, and that's a lot of studying the whys and hows of what goes into the food that people like. Toss in the knowledge upgrade they give us on how to actually do stuff, and I guess you get a pretty decent cook.