I dated an executive chef for a few years, learned a lot of tricks of the trade.
I can cook almost anything now, it's one of my primary hobbies.
My GF can cook on a decent level, she makes good enchiladas, salsas and soups. But it is all basic stuff.
I wrote my own cookbook more or less over the last 10 years. My goal in retirement is to start a small restaurant here in NM with BBQ and other comfort foods. I have 3 different grills on the back patio.

I made tamales with mole from scratch last weekend. It took way longer than expected, but even at 3am my GF admitted it was better than anything she grew up with in Mexico.
I've become a food snob, so i don't go out to eat much. I think i can cook better than 99% of the restaurant stuff, until you get too fancy.
Cooking isn't really that hard when you take classes or learn from a chef. It only gets challenging when you do something extravagant.