The kitchen is heart of the home — a place for families and friends to gather and socialize. Sometimes it also serves as a home office, where we pay our bills while our kids do their homework at the kitchen island. It’s where we eat our meals, and store our dishes and silverware in beautiful solid wood cabinetry.

But let’s face it — The kitchen’s main function is for cooking (because man cannot live on takeout alone). Whether you’re a seasoned cook or just starting out, here is some inspiration for the aspiring home chef.

• Good food and a warm kitchen are what makes a house a home. — Rachael Ray
• Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. — Guy Fier
• Cooking and baking is both physical and mental therapy. — Mary Berry
• So the pie isn’t perfect? Cut it into wedges. Stay in control, and never panic. — Martha Stewart

• Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors – it’s how you combine them that sets you apart. — Wolfgang Puck
• If you’re not the one cooking, stay out of the way and compliment the chef.— Michael Strahan
• I think careful cooking is love, don’t you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who’s close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give. — Julia Child
• My day job may be exhausting, but cooking is my peace. — Chrissy Teigen
• Don’t be afraid to do whatever you want. Cooking doesn’t have to have rules. — Masaharu Morimoto
• Baking is how you start kids at cooking in the kitchen. — Sandra Lee
• I’m a home cook and love to read about food, but I’m not trained as a chef. I’m just really into cooking and passionate about it. — Ted Allen
• A grill is just a source of heat. Just like a stove, it is very user-friendly. — Bobby Flay
• A splash of red wine vinegar can pull things together like a pinch of salt. — Alex Guarnaschelli

• I don’t believe in low-fat cooking. — Nigella Lawson
• Butter, cream, and bacon. That’s such a great foundation right there. — Ree Drummond
• You don’t have to do everything from scratch. Nobody wants to make puff pastry! — Ina Garten
• When I’m home, the heart and soul of our family is in the kitchen.— Cat Cora
• Cooking can cure almost anything. — Michelle Dockery
• Once I tune in to the fact that my family receives my cooking for them as an act of love – that it’s actually something that makes them feel cared for – it shifts my entire perspective. — Joanna Gaines
• Food brings people together on many different levels. It’s nourishment of the soul and body; it’s truly love. — Giada De Laurentiis

At The RTA Store we help make your dream home a reality with RTA (Ready To Assemble) and Pre-Assembled solid wood cabinetry and accessories. Whether it’s your kitchen bathroom, laundry room, home office, bar room or TV room, we offer the same (if not better) quality you would find at any retail store, but for a fraction of the price. Stop by our website or give us a call and let us make your dreams come true with the help of our free room design tool!