Even if I learned how to cook, it's unlikely that I would end up being the best cook in my social circle.

Most people resolve this by specializing in certain dishes. You could probably never be a better general cook than your friend's wife who really loves cooking, but you could learn to make a single night's dinner better than her with a small amount of practice. Just keep repeating the same appetizer, the same entree, the same two sides, and the same desert.

I have a friend who can only make Eggplant Parmesian, bacon-deviled-eggs, and chocolate covered strawberries. As long as he doesn't host more than twice a month, nobody notices this lack of variety because each of the dishes exceeds restaurant quality. He can't cook outside of that, but he's still considered amazing at cooking because that's how people's memory works.