I want to showcase foods of Central America so that people see that it’s not just tacos with rice and beans with enchilada sauce on top.”

Byron Roman, Fountain Hills veteran and Sister Cities committee chair for Ataco, El Salvador

Want to vote for Byron Roman?

To vote for Byron Roman in the Taste of Home Favorite Chef Competition, visit favchef.com/2024/byron-roman.

By Cyrus Guccione
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Byron Roman, Fountain Hills resident and Sister Cities committee chair for Ataco, El Salvador, is competing in the Taste of Home Favorite Chef Competition and currently holds first place in his group.

The competition is presented by Food Network celebrity chef Carla Hall who found fame on shows including “Top Chef” and “The Chew.”

The competition runs through August and the grand prize includes a check for $25,000, an appearance on the cover of Taste of Home culinary magazine and the chance to cook with Chef Hall.

“Within the third day, I was in first place because my friends and the community were voting for me,” Roman said.

Roman cruised through the first round of 62 participants in his group and is first of 20 at the time of this writing.

The competition began May 20 and votes are currently being taken for candidates online. Voters also have the chance to donate to the James Beard Foundation which supports chef mentoring, leadership programs and advocacy.

Passion for cooking

Roman hails from Guatemala where, as a child, he would watch his grandmother cook in the kitchen.

He began making scrambled eggs at the age of eight and his passion for cooking carried through to his adulthood, following cookbook recipes and constantly experimenting with the flavors of his youth.

Roman, a former U.S. Marine, has worked in restaurants before but never wanted to be a chef. He simply enjoys cooking for friends and families.

One of his favorite dishes is called Cochinita pibil, a traditional Yucatec Mayan dish featuring slow-roasted pork with citrus, annatto seed and achiote paste, wrapped in a banana leaf.

“Every region has their own version of the tamale,” Roman said. “Most people in the U.S. are used to the Mexican style tamale with wrapped with corn husk. As you go farther south into Central and South America, we use a banana leaf.”

In the competition, Roman has featured his own style of picado, a chutney-style sauce with pickled onions and radish, commonly served with meat.

For the remainder of the competition, Roman must send videos/pictures of plated presentations for judging.

If he were to win the competition, Roman says he would like to have a studio kitchen where he could teach people how to cook, particularly veterans. Roman says cooking is a highly transferable skill for veterans entering the workforce.

“By providing veterans classes on cooking, they can get their certification as food handlers,” he said. “That’s an option they can have not just as a job but for their own sustainability.”

As the competition moves forward, Roman is eager to promote the culinary culture of Central America where he grew up.

“I want to showcase foods of Central America so that people see that it’s not just tacos with rice and beans with enchilada sauce on top,” he said. “It’s good for people to experience that culture.”

To vote for Roman in the Taste of Home Favorite Chef Competition, visit favchef.com/2024/byron-roman.

We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Cyrus Guccione can be reached at cguccione@iniusa.org.