About Taste of Lago
I cook the way most people do: around the rest of life.
I’m Michael Tornwood, a home cook in Jacksonville, Florida. This site is my working notebook for recipes that survive real schedules.
Why I keep notes
A good meal is easier to repeat when the useful details are written down: how dry the fish was, when the citrus went in, which side of the grill ran hotter.
I am not presenting myself as a restaurant chef or nutrition professional. I’m an attentive home cook sharing tested methods, seasonal observations and honest adjustments.
Jacksonville at the table
Living in northeast Florida shapes the ingredients I reach for: seafood, citrus, sturdy greens, summer vegetables and food suited to a grill. The city also sits at a crossroads of Southern, coastal, Caribbean and Latin influences. Taste of Lago takes inspiration from that setting without pretending any one tradition belongs to me.
What you will find here
Recipes include realistic prep, substitutions, storage notes and the reason a step matters. Kitchen Notes covers markets, equipment and techniques. I would rather publish a dependable dinner than decorate a fragile one.
What the name means
Taste of Lago is the name of this personal journal, not a restaurant. It suggests the relaxed, waterside pace I want the cooking to have: attentive but unhurried, generous without being showy.
Come back to the kitchen
If you try something, adapt it to your table. Send a note when a direction is unclear or when a local ingredient deserves attention. Useful cooking improves through repetition and conversation.