At school, Nick was embarrassed by the smell of the Chinese food his parents packed him for lunch. When he decided to become a chef, he perfected French techniques under some of the top chefs in North America and Europe. Returning home, it was his grandmother’s wontons that gave him a jolt of sensory memory that would define his current success. homecookedpodcast.com for recipes, photos and videos. Photography: Christopher Wahl Illustrations: Charlotte Ficek