East Texas hospital chef up for $25,000 prize in national competition
PALESTINE, Texas (KETK) – An East Texas chef is in need of your support to win a national competition and a chance to cook with celebrity chef Carla Hall.
Chef Rob Wilson is the food service director for Palestine Regional Medical Center and is currently a quarter-finalist in the 2025 Favorite Chef competition hosted by the James Beard Foundation.
Wilson’s parents owned restaurants when he was growing up and while working in the kitchen alongside his brother, he developed his passion for the culinary arts.
But he says the main reason he does what he does?
“These people are in a hospital room. They’re being poked and prodded, some of them may be dying {or} on hospice. They’re laying there looking at the ceiling and four walls; there’s not a whole lot to look forward to. I think as food service people, we can not only deliver a great meal, but with the service, we can provide a beautiful meal, and deliver it with smile.”
Rob Wilson
East Texas hospital chef up for $25,000 prize in national competition
If you’d like to vote for Wilson, you can do so by clicking here. Voting for the semi-finalists ends Thursday at 9 p.m. central.
KETK asked Wilson if he had to choose one meal what would it be and his answer was: Chicken and Waffles from Roscos in Long Beach, California.
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