1.   the way to a man's heart is through his stomache...

2.   well fed bonuses to attributes

3.   food restores health and mana

4.   gain the worst case of indigestion and belch fire at your enemies!

5.   instills peace and tranquility after visiting the mad Auction House

6.   cooking goes well with fishing

7.   become a human pirate outside crossroads and see how many people you can fool

8.   nothing beats that warm fuzzy feeling you get when providing for family and friends

9.   pets love people food too!

10. the Iron Chef never had to cook with ingredients like these!

Where to Start
There are cooking trainers found throughout the game. More than likely you will find one in the second town you come upon after you create a new character. If you have difficulty locating one, ask a guard for directions. Train fishing also and you will be able to raise your cooking skill much easier. When you hit the upper levels of artisan cooking, you will need fish to skill up as there are no nonfish recipes at that skill range. View the Fishing Guide for more information on fishing. All cooking requires a cooking fire. Stand near any bonfire, campfire, etc. to cook.

Artisan Cooking
To obtain the Artisan Cooking quest, you have to be level 40 and already have a maxed out cooking skill of 225.

Begin by speaking with Dirge Quikcleave at the Inn in Gadgetzan (coords 52.28). He will offer you the Artisan Cooking quest called "Clamlette Surprise". You will need to gather 12 giant eggs, 10 Zesty clam meat, and 20 alterac swiss to complete the quest. You can find giant eggs off Owlbeasts in the Hinterlands. Obtain the zesty clam meat from Big-mouth Clams that are fished or looted off of sea water creatures like threshers in Dustwallow Marsh. Buy the alterac swiss cheese from a vendor: Alliance vendor Ben Trias at the Cheese Shop in Stormwind, or Horde Inkeeper Abeqwa at Freewind Post in Thousand Needles. These items can often be bought at the Auction House if you want to complete the quest quickly.