The Food Dude

Kevin Roberts teaches nutrition with hot sauce

The Food Dude: Kevin Roberts speaks to an audience in the Williams Auditorium about college food. Covering all aspects from breakfast to late night snacks, “The Food Dude” shared his culinary knowledge. Photo By: Eric Trandel | Photographer
The Food Dude: Kevin Roberts speaks to an audience in the Williams Auditorium about college food. Covering all aspects from breakfast to late night snacks, “The Food Dude” shared his culinary knowledge. Photo By: Eric Trandel | Photographer
Entertainment Unlimited (EU) hosted Kevin Roberts, “The Food Dude,” as he entertained and educated Ferris State University students Friday night with hot sauce and mayo hate.

Roberts kicked off the night with a simple statement: “I hate mayo.”

He gave away T-shirts printed with the phrase to various students throughout the night in addition to bottles of hot sauce and food he made on stage.

Roberts wasn’t all fun and games, though. Students won the giveaways by answering questions about food and nutrition. He covered every aspect of college food life, from late night snacks to fast breakfasts and even hangover recovery.

“I was so frustrated in college with not eating what I wanted to eat that I started creating my own recipes,” Roberts said.

Roberts’ recipes and nutritional advice focused on two things: cheap and easy–two words not usually associated with food, but certainly applicable to college students cramped for time and money.

“Back in 2006, one of the major things cut from [college] budgets was health and nutrition classes. I didn’t think anyone was fending for college students, so I figured I better get out there and kick some munchies butt,” Roberts said.

This is Roberts’ second time at Ferris, and EU was more than happy to have him again. EU president Melissa Hanson, Ferris senior in accounting and finance, was impressed with how Roberts tailored the performance to college students, a primary motivation for inviting him back.

“He has a really energizing presentation. He gives things away, so it’s fun, too, while educational. We don’t want all the educational presentations to be boring. We want students to want to come to them.”

Roberts ended the night with a hot sauce show down, inviting five students to the stage to down an entire bottle of hot sauce. The first one to finish got his or her pick among Roberts’ two cookbooks and $20 he pulled from his own pocket.

Matthew Kuyper, Ferris sophomore in pre-dentistry, won the drink-off in a matter of seconds.

“I love hot sauce, so [it’s] nothing big. Honestly, there’s a little burn in the back of the throat; I got a runny nose, but it wasn’t that bad,” Kuyper said. “It was a lot of fun and it was educational. I like the fact that he showed us cheap ways of making healthy food.”