Chef to Presidents to Create UALR’s Taste of Latin America

Executive Chef Justin Williams, who has cooked for a host of celebrities and the 2008 presidential candidates, will be the featured chef at the Alumni Association’s Taste of Latin America fundraising event March 19 at the Bailey Alumni Center.

Williams, the top chef for all campus food service, was chosen along with 10 other executive chefs from across the nation to create cuisine for participants in the presidential debate last year at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. He was the VIP chef for the Obama and McCain parties and the personal chef for NBC Correspondent Tom Brokaw.

“I was extremely excited to be chosen to cook for such a historical presidential debate,” Williams said. “The most exciting part of the debate, was knowing I was cooking for the next president of the United States of America. And being the private chef for Mr. Tom Brokaw wasn’t too shabby.”

Williams said Brokaw was feeling a little under the weather prior to the debate. Williams asked if the newsman would rather forego the filet of beef with a green peppercorn sauce and have soup instead.

“Tom replied that he would love some soup, so down the stairs I went and whipped up a batch of beef and shitake mushroom soup and served him at his desk right before the debate,” Williams said. “The whole experience was amazing.”

Williams recently became UALR’s executive chef with its food service company Sodexo. A Texarkana native, he has an extensive background working and training across the country in the culinary field. A French-trained chef, he attended Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts program at the Texas Culinary Academy in Austin, Texas. In Austin, he had the opportunity to work with chefs Wolfgang Puck and Taylor Florence at the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival.

For tickets to Taste of Latin America, call 501.569.8387.