As the holidays approach, it’s easy to find yourself overwhelmed by the stress of planning meals for large gatherings and the pressure to perfect special dishes for the season. Chef Carla Hall wants you to remember that cooking is about fostering joy and relieving some of that stress. Doing so will not only make you feel good but will also likely lead to wonderfully delicious culinary creations.

Stumped on where to begin? According to Hall, the best place to start is by thinking about what first led you to cooking. “I would start with [asking yourself] what are the things that you liked to eat as a child and recreate those. Recreate the things that maybe a parent made for you or a grandparent or an aunt. And start there with your joy.” The foods of our childhoods can have a tremendous impact on our senses and memories, making the act of recreating them particularly special. Many beloved chefs, including the late Anthony Bourdain, EJ Lagasse, and Jacques Pépin, share Hall’s appreciation for the joys rooted in their childhood meals.