My boyfriend, Glenn, is the type of cook who makes even the simplest meal a celebration. Glenn is such an intuitive cook. . . . He senses when someone is in need of comfort foods, like his vegetarian adaptations of chicken potpie and kung pao chicken, or when someone is craving a savory salmon dish or spicy Lebanese stew. Without fail, Glenn's cooking includes healthful, tasty meals reflecting his attention both to the food he prepares and to the guests he serves.

Glenn Schick's mom couldn't cook.

"My dad was long-suffering when it came to my mom's cooking," Schick says. "I remember she would put something down on the table and he would look over at me and I would look at him. . . . But no matter what it was, my dad and I always told my mom how good it was."

Schick knew, even as a youngster, that good food actually did exist.

He started paying attention to master chefs on television, then began preparing his own meals.

"I started with pasta and easy things like that," he says. "Then I started buying all the cookbooks I could get my hands on."

Today, Schick's friends think of him as an imaginative -- at times inspired -- cook.

Family/background: "I'm originally from Queens, N.Y. I've been in Atlanta since 1992. I'm single and live with my dog, Oscar."

Career: "I own my own business, Glenn Schick Mastering. We are a CD mastering facility. It's the last phase of music production. We're the guys that put the polish on the music you hear. We do a lot of Atlanta music, especially hip-hop artists like Ludacris and Jermaine Dupri."

Who taught you to cook? "I taught myself."

Culinary roots: "In my house, opening a can of tuna or boiling pasta with canned sauce was cooking. My mother's big supper would be a roasted chicken with some paprika sprinkled on top, with some canned potatoes. I still [have] a can of Key Food boiled potatoes from the 1970s. I keep it on a shelf in my kitchen as a memento."

Cooking style: "Healthful -- low cholesterol -- with a high flavor quotient. I use a lot of fish and vegetables."

Early food memory: "Sitting in the back of a bar in Chinatown [New York], sucking spicy snails out of their shell with my dad when I was 7."

What is the most enjoyable aspect of cooking? "It's a creative outlet for me. I used to have music as an outlet, but it became my job."

Who do you cook for? "My friends and, of course, my girlfriend."

Who or what is your inspiration in the kitchen? "Madhur Jaffrey. She is an Indian actress and also a cookbook author. She has a restaurant and appears on the Food channel."

Specialties: "Asian and Mediterranean. Although I'm not a vegetarian, I do have healthful collaborations of dishes that substitute meat with veggies or meat replacers."

Culinary achievements: "Preparing sushi for 150 people for the opening of my studio. It took 16 hours."

Culinary ambitions. "I would like to compete on 'Iron Chef.' "

What is your favorite thing to cook? "Fresh fish and vegetables."

What is your favorite thing to eat? "Anything with truffles in it."

Culinary pet peeve: "Overcooked fish."

Memorable flop: "A Cajun shrimp dish that tasted like Oscar Mayer bologna."

Do you favor a particular ingredient? "I love garlic and chiles."

Do you have a tip for today's cooks? "Fresh, good-quality ingredients are the key. Cook foods that don't need lots of help to taste good, just a little coaxing."

Favorite cookbook: "Madhur Jaffrey's 'Far Eastern Cookery.' "

How do you feel about recipes? "They are great as a guideline, especially from a good author, but you need to taste and make your own decisions once you have a grasp on the 'feel' of cooking."

When I eat out, I like to order: "Something that I wouldn't want to mess up my kitchen with. Or something that takes a long time to prepare."

If you could prepare a fantasy meal for anyone, who would it be and what would you cook? "That's a tough one. It could be something as simple as having a grilled cheese with Bill Clinton to get his take on what's really going on. Another one would be lasagna with Led Zeppelin, and then a great spicy Chinese meal with Dad -- or maybe a bowl of snails."

MAIN DISH

Salmon and Broccolini

With Black Bean Sauce

Makes 2 servings Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 12-20 minutes, plus 5 minutes resting time

Many supermarkets and Asian groceries would carry the ingredients needed for this recipe. As with any fish, use caution not to overcook it. Try to find fillets of equal thickness to ensure comparable cooking times. Serve with Asian or regular rice.

2 teaspoons black bean and garlic sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch granulated sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 (4- to 6-ounce) fresh salmon fillets or steaks, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and pepper
1 bunch broccolini or several stalks of broccoli florets or asparagus
1 inch fresh ginger root, very finely julienned, or grated
2 green onions, cut in 2-inch lengths

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place 2 large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil (twice the size of the fish fillets) on a counter. Fold the foil, shiny side up, down the middle to make it look like an open book.

In a bowl, combine the black bean sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, garlic and sugar. Rub sesame oil over the salmon and place the fish in the center of one side of both of the foil packets. Lightly salt and pepper the fish on both sides. Place the broccolini around the fish. Spread a thin layer of the black bean mixture on the fish. Top with ginger and green onions. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oyster sauce over the fish and broccolini.

Fold the other side of the foil over the food and crimp the foil, rolling it from the outside toward the food, so the seam of the foil "seals" the packages on all sides. Place the packages on a lipped baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon, or until the salmon turns opaque. Let the packets sit for 5 minutes, then carefully open them.

Per serving: 246 calories (percent of calories from fat, 47), 27 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 13 grams fat, 72 milligrams cholesterol, 358 milligrams sodium.

Who are the best cooks? We're looking for Georgia home cooks who deserve recognition for their talents and who have interesting recipes to share. Fax at 404-526-5509, e-mail kitchen@ajc.com or write to Betty Parham, Food Department, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303. Give us your name and phone number, as well as the name and number of the cook you'd like us to consider. And tell us a little about what makes this cook special.