Nominated by Laura Bruce:

"My son Robert discovered Food TV a couple of years ago and hasn't stopped cooking or watching since. While other kids are playing video games and reading 'Harry Potter,' Robert is reading cookbooks and planning what he is going to make next. Every cookbook in the house is filled with Post-its, put there by Robert for reference. He is also into kitchen gadgets and appliances and reads Consumer Reports faithfully. He can tell you what the best vegetable peeler is and what range or appliance is the best.

"Besides being creative in the kitchen, he is also into the science and chemistry of what he is doing. He definitely keeps me on my toes with my cooking and presentation. Even friends and neighbors have him test-taste their cooking. If something is not up to his high standards, he will say, referring to the offending dish: 'Mom, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but lose that, OK?' Now if we can just teach him to be a little more tactful."

"If kids want to learn to cook like me, they should just forget about peanut butter and jelly and all that kid stuff. At least, if they are going to have peanut butter, they should put some bacon on it," says 9-year-old Robert Bruce, whose ambition is to be an executive chef and to have a TV food show.

With that attitude, Robert can't miss.

Family/background: "My dad is Scott. My mom is Laura, and I have a 5-year-old brother, Jeffrey, who is basically my shadow. His favorite food of mine is broccoli and my mushrooms. I'm in the fourth grade at Rock Springs Elementary."

Hobbies/interests: "Cooking; I take piano lessons; soccer; and meteorology. I have a little weather station. I like predicting the weather. I also like astronomy."

Who taught you to cook? "I learned to cook from my mom and dad -- who is great on the grill, but I prefer stove and oven cooking. I have also learned from Emeril [Lagasse] and Alton Brown on the Food channel."

How did your love of cooking develop? "I was flipping through the channels and found Food TV and that's how it started. I like watching 'Iron Chef,' but I would never eat the food, especially when they eat eel and stuff."

For whom do you cook? "I cook for my family about four times a week. Once a week I will plan what I want to make and write a list of all the things I need. Then my mom will get it at the store. Mostly my mom leaves me alone in the kitchen, but she will keep an eye on things, especially when I pull out the cleavers. But I have never cut myself yet."

What do you like most about cooking? "My favorite thing to do is use my KitchenAid mixer. It's fun to turn it up to 10. I use it for cakes and it makes frosting a lot easier. It is also excellent for mashed potatoes. I had to work hard for that mixer. I had to be good for a little while before I got it."

Who are your favorite chefs? "I would have to say my favorite chefs are Emeril and Alton Brown. I like Emeril for his neat recipes and presentation. I like Alton because he teaches you new techniques and tells you about the right utensils to use. I've tried a lot of Emeril's recipes and they are all good. Jamie Oliver is good if you don't have a lot of time. But I like to take three hours. I like to slow cook."

Culinary ambitions: "My culinary ambitions include becoming an executive chef at a nice restaurant and having my own TV show. I hope to study at the Culinary Institute of America.

"For Halloween, I dressed up as a chef and my little brother was a chocolate chip cookie. I used a saucepan for my bag to collect candy."

What is your favorite thing to cook? "I like to make sautˇed mushrooms with teriyaki sauce instead of butter along with a few spices, like pepper, Emeril's Essence and a little garlic. They taste great and they are healthier than when you use butter."

What is your favorite thing to eat? "My favorite things to eat include filet mignon and Lindt chocolate truffles."

What's your favorite thing to eat when you eat out? "I like to eat Japanese, Mexican or Italian. Before I eat at a restaurant, I like to check their [health] inspection score. My school's cafeteria has 100 percent and I like restaurants that have high scores. If they don't have it up, sometimes I will ask them. The worst I've seen is a 74. They have to show it in public and if they don't and I ask, they will say something like, 'You don't need to know,' then I say, 'Well, we'll leave then.' "

Favorite ingredient: "My favorite ingredients are teriyaki sauce and Emeril's Essence. I also like garlic. You can put a little garlic on just about everything."

Any advice for other cooks? "My advice for other kid chefs is to watch Food Network so they can learn new techniques and to get hold of good ingredients. . . . Also, don't just sit in front of the TV and watch. Make sure you get up and cook."

How do you feel about recipes? "I like to use recipes for things I don't know how to cook. Like, I'm not an expert at fish. I'm trying to learn that now. I'm best at meats and vegetables and mushrooms."

My favorite cookbooks: "My favorites are Emeril's. I have some of them. The rest I borrow from the library. My neighbor, Ms. Kim, even got me an autographed copy of 'There's a Chef in My Soup!' "

If you could cook a fantasy meal for anybody, who would it be and what would you cook? "I would like to cook a meal with Emeril and Alton Brown. We would make filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes, mixed Japanese vegetables and chocolate cake."

-- Betty Parham

DESSERT

My Favorite Chocolate Cake

Makes 10 servings

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Baking time: 30-35 minutes

"One of my favorite recipes is chocolate cake," Robert Bruce says. "I like to make it because it is easy and it is really good and moist. In addition, I can use my KitchenAid mixer. I made it the first time for my mom's birthday last year. She loves chocolate."

For the cake:

2 cups granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa (Bruce recommends Hershey's)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup boiling water

For the frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

2/3 cup cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Pour batter evenly into pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack to finish cooling.

In a bowl, combine butter and cocoa. Alternately add sugar and milk and beat on medium speed until spreadable. Add more milk if too thick. Stir in vanilla.

When cakes have cooled completely, cover with frosting.

Per serving: 612 calories (percent of calories from fat, 33), 7 grams protein, 101 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 23 grams fat, 64 milligrams cholesterol, 600 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.