J. Michael Akers, whose father was a US Marine, was born in Topeka, Kansas in 1973. Because of his father's career, Michael was able to see a vast part of the United States and thus taste the various cuisines that are found throughout the states. However, through all of this traveling, home cooking always surrounded that of the kitchens of family in southeastern Texas-the kitchens of his grandparents and great grandparents. It was in these kitchens (visited every summer) that Michael recalls visiting and savoring the tantalizing aromas of Cajun cooking and learning of the roots of family-not only the Cajun culture, but the Cajun heritage. A heritage discovered to be as rich and spiced as its cooking-a true reflection within itself.