Roberta Dowling taught me about seasoning. At the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts outside of Boston in the late 1990s, nothing mattered so much to Roberta, the school’s gregarious, tough and inspirational founder. She taught us to taste and season as we go, adding salt gradually until we could feel the flavors come alive.

I remember her furrowed brow when she tasted something under-seasoned and her infectious smile when she took a bite of something that lived up to her ideal: a “symphony” that would come together when all the contributing ingredients were in sync. I lived for that smile. We have all done it.