Is/Are

[anneng]

Hello,

I would like to say: "Cooking and serving your foods is/are the key to your success". In this case, should I use is or are please? Logically, I will use "are" but intuitively I will use "is". I will be very grateful if you could let me know which one is correct. Thank you for your help.

[Alan]

Yes, even though the plural would be technically permissible, the singular would be the natural choice here.

Not directly related to your query, but note the word 'food' itself will not be pluralized unless it refers to a variety of food types (e.g. Italian, Chinese, Mexican, etc.)