Welcome @pa145k. Boy, I can imagine that as a chef you're very concerned about getting your sense of taste and smell back after cancer treatment. You'll notice that I moved your message to this existing discussion in the Cancer: Managing Symptoms group:

- When will food taste good again after chemo and radiation? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/trying-to-get-food-into-husband-after-chemo-and-radiation/

I did this so you can easily connect with other members talking about regaining taste after chemo and radiation, members like @weebiscuit @mira24 @alpaca and others.

@pa145k, what type of cancer did you have? (Great that the tumor has disappeared.) What kind of chemo and radiation did you have?

After high does chemo and radiation, my taste buds came back fairly quickly. It was a couple months before chocolate had any flavor. I seemed to recall that was the last to return. The flavors I love did change a bit, permanently. I now love strong flavors that I previously did not. When cooking I now have the advantage of a keener sense of smell, even 17 years later. I am not a chef but I adore cooking and I cook a lot, always from fresh.
What type of chemo did you take? May I ask where your tumor was?