COMPETITOR

no name gourmet

HEAD COOK: Michael Roberts

COMPETITION: World Pasta Championship

QUALIFYING EVENT: 2014 World Pasta Championship Top 10

I developed a passion for cooking early in life. As a self-taught cook, my mother could tell you that the cost of my early culinary training was mostly that of burned cookware, as I experimented making my own lunches during elementary school. I lived in Hawaii for 2 years following high school and gained more great food knowledge from my friends there. The melting pot of cultures I experienced brought me an interest in and knowledge of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Philippine and local Polynesian food, as well as the unique blending of these cultures—which varied from location to location. For the next 20 years, my experience broadened from dinner parties for friends and family, to catering luaus for church groups of up to 300. In 2005, my résumé expanded as I went to work in a commercial kitchen as the Food Services Director at Cottonwood Youth Academy in Salt Lake City, Utah. I operated in-house food services for residents and staff and produced over 3000 meals per month. After more than 30 years of honing my cooking and baking skills, and expanding my catering and teaching abilities, at last I found a way to pursue my passion as a vocation when I started my business, No Name Gourmet Personal Chef & Catering in June of 2008. It affords me the pleasure of sharing my passion and talent for creating delicious food for my clients every day, [and I truly love what I do.] In 2014 I qualified to compete in the Pasta category at the World Food Championships in Las Vegas, finishing fifth overall. This time around, I'm excited to use what I learned from my experience last year to finish even higher!