A FIRE IS LIT
From an early age, Chris noticed that he had something of an acquired taste. While his mates were watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (marshmallow and pepperoni pizza, anyone?) this kid was busy feasting his eyes on cookery shows by alternative childhood hero, Keith Floyd.
Plenty of other food pros would inspire Chris in the years that followed - including his late father. A true hunter-gatherer who often joined the Gauchos on fishing trips in Patagonia, the old man would bring home dramatic tales and catches that often left his son feeling in awe - and, at times, slightly traumatized. Seeing a bunch of pheasants hanging from the family garage one afternoon was a bit of a shocker.
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But this wasn’t the only kind of ‘game’ Chris Roberts would set his sights on. After finishing his A-Levels, Chris - a skilled golfer - took a year out to compete in the European Long Drive Tour. The players’ motto? ‘Eat every meal as if it’s your last!’ And so he swung and scoffed his way around Europe as if it were the end of days.
Throughout his 20s, though busy with his job caring for adults with learning disabilities, he maintained his passion for cooking...
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After his dad passed away, Chris wished he’d paid more attention to the immense stories he’d heard as a teenager. Later on, however, while watching an episode of Chef’s Table, all the south American tales came rushing back… As he listened to Francis Mallman discuss Asado - how it isn’t just a way of cooking, but a way of life - Chris had an idea.
With the aim of bringing people together and celebrating north Wales’ finest offerings, he put on his own food festival. The culmination of CHRISFEST saw carcasses roasting on wrought iron crosses in Caernarfon town centre. Hundreds gathered round the fire pit, built by Chris and his friends, and stayed up eating and drinking until the last embers died.
Social media went berserk, and the event sparked a wider following for the food fiend - one which catapulted him to fronting his own TV show. Bwyd Epic Chris (Chris’ Epic Food) has become a national hit, and the big man’s appetite for sizzling flavours shows no signs of diminishing any time soon.
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Next up on the menu? Set the rest of the world’s taste buds alight!
