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When Todd Arnold was a child, he probably wouldn't have eaten Steak Oscar if you'd paid him. The future chef started cooking roast chicken and homemade noodles, not the rack of lamb and crab-topped steak he serves at Don's Pomeroy House.

As a child, Beau Schmidt did not dream of becoming a fireman or a cowboy. He wanted to cook.

Roger Thomas’ illustrious career belies the old saw that nice guys finish last. Thomas, 56, has worked his way to the top of the local chefs’ heap with a personality that is the opposite of the screaming chefs of reality television.

Some people go looking for success. Others are tackled by it. Chef Shawn Monday is among the latter.

Life is sweet these days for Josh Montague. The 38-year-old chef has a thriving Tremont-area chocolate shop, a chef-partner who is also his wife and, as of February 12, a baby son.

Balance is much easier for Lawrence Suen to achieve in his cooking than in his life. The yin and yang of sweet and sour, spicy and cool, crunchy and soft plays out across the panoply of Asian dishes on the menus of his family’s House of Hunan.

Eight years ago chef John Pollizi totally changed his life. After working at top Akron restaurants including Treva and Piatto, he took over The Oaks Lakeside Restaurant in Medina County as chef/owner and left city life behind.

Chefs like Matthew Anderson who have a svelte physique are often asked how they remain fit. Matt does it the hard way: He runs 30 to 40 miles a week. Not every week, of course. When he is training for a marathon, he ups the mileage to 100.

Karen Small is pleased but a bit amused that “eating local” is such a hot trend. She’s happy that people are finally getting it, and amused that many consider it a new idea.

If there's such a thing as a foodie gene, Doug Katz has one. He got it from his mother, Linda, who took cooking classes and raised her son on fine food instead of Pop Tarts and Tang.