"The Food Dude" Entertains Mason Students

Kevin Roberts, who has appeared on The Next Food Network Star and The Today Show, entertained Mason students with simple recipes for dorm room cooking during a demonstration Tuesday night in the JC Atrium.

For the Broadside article about this event, click READ MORE below.

'Dude' Teaches Healthy Habits

By Broadside Staff Writer Dylan Hares

A time-tested way to get young people to listen to a for-your-own-good presentation is with things they can’t get enough of. In this case, it’s food and free stuff.

Kevin Roberts, also known as the “Food Dude,” graced the Johnson Center stage on Tuesday night with his message of healthy solutions for college life and, most importantly, the best ways to avoid the infamous “freshman fifteen.”

The charismatic chef, who is a regular on the Food Network, brought with him a considerable amount of groceries, demonstrating how they could be turned into tasty snacks for the on-the-go student.

Being knowledgeable about college kids and their habits, the “Food Dude” was quick to condemn soda, ice cream, orange cheese, trans fats, processed foods and all of the other unhealthy choices that mothers always warn their children about avoiding. 

Most of the audience seemed shocked at the idea that mosquitoes can smell the sugar in our blood that is undigested by the body and ingested primarily through soda and similar snacks.

His first demonstration was a quick, cheap and healthy breakfast made with a wheat bagel, cream cheese, deli turkey and tomato.

Naturally, it was delicious. Suffice it to say, the “poor man’s pizzas” that were passed around were also delectable made with oil, tomato sauce, and parmesan cheese on a wheat English muffin.

He quizzed the audience, tossing out witty comments and bottles of hot sauce and mustard for any answer he liked. 

He also gave out such kitchen commodities as a half jar of tomato sauce, honey, olive oil, and even a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

Informing the audience it’s good for killing germs on your toothbrush and in your mouth when diluted with water.

A lot of the advice given was similar to what one would get from their mother since childhood.

According to Roberts, dark chocolate is better because it isn’t as processed, olive oil is healthy, anti-oxidants fight cancer, soy milk is pure protein, live bacteria helps your digestive system, and fiber is good for a regular system. 

The most pertinent information  was that the darker the beer and the more distilled the liquor, the better.

Turnout was good for what proved to be a very informative presentation and the audience was sure to walk away with another time-tested lesson —always eat your fruits and veggies, kids.