From hungry refugee to presidential chef: lottery winner's journey of giving back

By Kate Northrop

A chef who has cooked for several U.S. presidents is using his $250,000 prize he won in the lottery to feed the hungry.

A $250,000 lottery win has helped a presidential chef feed thousands of people in need of a meal, a dream come true for the former war refugee.

Roberto Mendoza is a rather high-profile lottery winner, having cooked for some of the "most important people in the world," the North Carolina Lottery said.

"Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, Trump," Mendoza recalled of the presidents he's prepared meals for.

In 2019, Mendoza experienced a bout of luck when he won a $250,000 prize in a "Hit $500" scratch-off game. While many players dream of winning the lottery, that win marked just the beginning of a major milestone.

"When I won the lottery, my dream came true," Mendoza told the Lottery. "That money helped me donate 64,000 meals in North Carolina during the pandemic and another 60,000 meals in El Salvador, thanks to the North Carolina Lottery."

Mendoza's motivation to help those in need stemmed from his time growing up in El Salvador, a period marked by a time of war.

"It's terrible — talking about war is not easy," he said in an interview. "When I was 14 or 15 years old, I went to bed without eating anything because of the war in El Salvador ... and I cried and cried, and I said, 'God, when I grow up, I don't want to suffer for food again in my life.'"

Mendoza was able to secure a pathway out of his home nation through the Salvation Army, landing in Canada before making his way to Los Angeles and rising to prominence in the food industry as a well-known chef.

He was rightfully proud of his career achievements, but he couldn't shake the urge to give back to those who were experiencing the same strain he did in his younger years.

"I remember when I used to be hungry, and I decided to do something," Mendoza said to Lottery officials.

The chef decided that one Thanksgiving would be the day he would set out to achieve that goal.

"I ended up with 600 turkeys for Thanksgiving, and that was the first time I cooked for the homeless and immigrants," he recounted. "We fed about 10,000 people that day."

Mendoza is still part of the culinary team for the White House. He is also preparing to open his latest venture, a restaurant in Chapel Hill called Tikka Tequila.

"Who I was without food, without family, by myself, and now I look into the mirror every day — I feel proud of myself," he said. "I pat myself [on the back] and say, 'good job.'"

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Roberto Mendoza has cooked for some of the most important people in the world.