Gregory Hutsell is a self-taught chef, cooking instructor, wine aficionado and author. A native of Carroll County, Maryland, he grew up watching his grandmother cook for workers at the family's dairy farm in Mount Airy, MD and started cooking on his own during his days at Westminster High School. His grandmothers were inspirational to his cooking, as was his mother, who could make something out of nothing using fresh ingredients from the garden. At the age of 30, having accumulated a sizable library of cookbooks, Gregory slowly began to devote his life to cooking. In 1998, he began working part-time at Maggie's in Westminster, MD. Three years later, he started working part time in the kitchen at Antrim 1844 in Taneytown, MD. The two restaurant stints were like an apprenticeship for him. But he did not want the restaurant life. By the time he was 44, he had attained considerable skill at the stove and felt more comfortable being self-employed, catering "in home" wine dinners and banquets. Currently, he teaches at Carroll Community College and caters private wine dinners. Gregory has also tested recipes for cookbook authors Nancy Baggett (The All-American Cookie Book), and Father Leo Patalinghug (Grace before Meals). In 2010, Gregory had saved enough money to travel to the south of France. He locked up his home in Westminster, rented a house in Sanary Sur Mer, France and took his wife, Penny, and two daughters, Sarah, and Savannah on a gastronomic tour of Provence and the Bandol wine region, on the Mediterranean coast. It was total immersion. Gregory bought the freshest food in the local markets, collected recipes and cooked, cooked, cooked, visiting 18 wineries, and eating in 20 restaurants. Gregory then duplicated restaurant meals back in the villa, experimented with recipes and took notes, accumulating enough information for his own cookbook. This volume, An American Redneck Cooks in France, is the result of his experiences in Provence.