In October of 2010 I married an amazing man (Michael) whose home country is Australia. Several of his friends and family flew to California from Australia to celebrate with us. My family had embraced Michael, and my dad really wanted to make his family feel welcome after they arrived. His grand plan involved omelets.

After participating in a group motorcycle ride to share our local landscape with our new family, my dad hit the kitchen. He cooked pancakes, bacon, and ‘omelets Dan Neff style’ which means that he cooks the eggs and has at his fingertips every possible thing you could think of to put inside your personalized omelet. He took over the kitchen and slung eggs for over an hour. The Australians were delighted and still list “Dan’s Omelets” as one of the most memorable parts of their US trip.

Though my dad was a first rate breakfast cook, I think the thing that made his breakfast special was how much he enjoyed serving up the perfect omelet for each person at his table. He loved feeding people, and he loved making sure that every plate he delivered was crafted with care for the person he was serving.