Chef of the Week: Roy Salazar

Roy Salazar attended the California Culinary Academy (CCA) and is a Certified Executive Chef and Culinary Educator. He has taught numerous classes at CCA including French Cuisine, Chocolate, Food and Wine Pairing, and Food Anthropology. In addition to being a ChefsBest Certified Master Taster, Roy has worked with companies like Coca-Cola and Frito-Lay on product development and contributed to the book Chinese Cooking for Dummies by Chef Martin Yan.

He is the 137th recipient of an award bestowed upon Julia Child and Martin Yan: the international Antonin Carême Medal. He has received the the American Culinary Federation Presidential Medal and the San Francisco and Pacific Coast Chef of the Year award. In 2005, Salazar was named Sir Roy Joseph Salazar by the king of Portugal.

What is your favorite meal to prepare?

In the winter time I tend to cook a Cassoulet. It is a historic, tried and true meal that guarantees to create smiles.

What do you enjoy most about being a part of the ChefsBest panel?

I like that we, as a professional group of chefs and Master Tasters, help the consumer find the best products out of thousands of culinary choices in thousands of culinary categories. We save consumers time and money. We give consumers the best right away.

What are three of your grocery store staples?

My grocery store staples represent anything that helps me create a nutritious and flavorful meal in limited time: onions, garlic, carrots, celery, etc.

Many ChefsBest products are grocery store staples for me as I trust the ChefsBest medallion. As a consumer, I look for products with the medallion, knowing that it guarantees quality.

In addition to participating on the ChefsBest panel, how else are you involved in the culinary community?

For over 10 years, I have been on the City of Benicia’s Human Services Council, which helps provide food and shelter to the needy. My wife and I also go to various countries and help orphanages by supplying them with food and teaching them how to cook.

What is your favorite ingredient in the kitchen and why?

I do not really have one favorite ingredient. I love when ingredients marry well, meaning they create complex flavor profiles. Most consumers these days want complexity.

To learn more about Roy Salazar, and all of our other Certified Master Tasters click here.