C.,
Children can eat table food from nine months on if they can chew it. You can stick with the softer stuff (no steaks unless cut up like ground meat, very small with a bit of sauce or gravy to soften it futher). My children never ate a bite of baby food, I made them ground up regular food right from five months on (I used a food mill on whatever we were eating) and then transitioned them to cut up food and soft foods (well cooked veggies, stewed or soft meats, pasta all make good transitions to regular food). As a result, my children eat well balanced meals and love their fruits and veggies.
On fruits, skins must be removed but apples and peaches work good (as does watermelon). My kids also loved grapes. The kids also loved softer cheeses like colby.
The only things you need to watch out for are salt and spices. My kids (who never had formula either - they only had breastmilk and water - no juice) love slightly spicy foods but no hotwings or curry.
Give your little boy small amounts and then offer him more. When he is full, he will stop.
Oh, I had to take my then 10 month old daughter to Vegas and she ate directly from the buffets, no special food at all at that age. And they both use their proper eating utensils at the ages of 4 and 2 (my daughter, now 4 is on teh autism spectrum so this is quite an accomplishment.)
Basically, just try it out.
PS My stepmother gave me some of those gerber meals and they are really horrible tasting. My daughter refused to eat them. I threw them all out. Real mac and cheese and real turkey are so much better.