Competitor Profile
Vita-Loca
HEAD COOK: Vita Jarrin
COMPETITION: World Pasta Championship
QUALIFYING EVENT: FoodChamp Challenge - Pasta
Cooking for me is both natural like breathing and it's new and exciting, every time I light the stove. I've been cooking since I was 7. My late aunt Rosaria, taught me very traditional Italian food, by propping me on chair and asking me to cook next to her. Since that early age, my curiosity increased and I wanted to learn from all of my relatives. As I get older, I try to record my mother's recipes as well, for those I will cherish the most.Fast forward 30 plus years, after raising all 3 of my daughters as a single parent, I decided to go to Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, to earn a culinary degree. I graduated in 2007 and opened my first restaurant in 2008 with another Chef as my business partner. After a tattered economy, we downsized to a cafe in 2009 and after a successful following, our landlord sold the building to someone else and we had to vacate.
I have been an Executive Chef for a couple of establishments since then and currently I am a Center of The Plate Specialist for Large Company here in Illinois. I consult restaurants on Food, Recipes, Business Ideas, Products etc., in order for them to grow and prosper in their business.
Being A Chef, has been very surreal for me. I've been able to combine my love of food, culture, family and tradition, which for me came natural, with a love and passion for learning new food, new cultures, recipes and other family's traditions in my career, by doing what I love to do.