Chef Robert Mendoza grew up in war-torn El Savador where food was scarce and always dreamed of feeding the hungry in the Dominican Republic. Now after an impulse buy on a scratchcard and a $250,000 win he can do exactly that!
Mendoza is an acclaimed chef and has cooked for three US presidents and the Tennessee Titans, he certainly knows his way around a kitchen but now that he’s scooped this massive win, he can do something even more important with his skills.
Mendoza was born in El Salvador and with war raging, food was scarce and he often went to bed without food. This experience shaped him and he was determined he wouldn’t be hungry when he grew up. Eventually the Salvation Army brought him to Canada and he eventually ended up in California where he worked at an Israeli delicatessen, it was here he discovered his passion for cooking.
An acclaimed chef he’s fed the rich and famous, but he’s not forgotten his roots and has fed the hungry too, drumming up support and cooking 600 holiday turkeys for the homeless of Charlotte, North Carolina. A friend told him he wished she could do the same thing for the kids of Bayaguana in the Dominican Republic and this inspired Mendoza to visit the poor there and devise a plan to help the locals there.
To date the funds have just not been accessible for Mendoza to carry out his dream but with this $250,000 scratchcard win he intends on doing just that! He says he knows too well what hunger feels like and wants to ensure he can relieve that for many people and is inspired to help by his new found fortune.