Chef Celebrates El Paso on HBO Max

rowing up, Roman Wilcox, 42, always knew he wanted to spend his time in the kitchen. Wilcox grew up watching PBS cooking shows and recalls feeling mesmerized by the way people cooked, and is now the coowner and chef of One Grub Community and co-founder of Planty For the People.

“I started gardening when I was a teacher and I learned more about food systems, the food agriculture bull, local food, local agriculture, and all of that started becoming very important to me,” Wilcox said. “I felt I had a responsibility as somebody who cooked as a professional that I could make a small difference in what I do in my business and my craft.”

One Grub community is a full plantbased business with the mission to provide healthy food to people in the community, regardless of their circumstances. One Grub achieves this goal with its “pay-it-forward” program, where through tips and “pay-it-forward” coins, meals can be provided for those who can’t afford it.

“We have a full restaurant that is available to anybody. If, for any reason, somebody doesn’t have the money to afford to pay for their meal at that time, we have a system in place that the community contributes to,” Wilcox said. “Anyone in the community, if they give tips or donations or they buy ‘payit-forward’ coins, all that money is set aside for those that need a meal.”

After cooking professionally for over 27 years and with experience in fine dining, a nonprofit and educational backgrounds, opening One Grub Community and its sister organizations is, Wilcox explains, the culmination of elements that led him to open a diner with accessible and healthy food.

Aside from running the One Grub diner, Wilcox, along with his wife Adriana Wilcox, run Planty For the People, a nonprofit organization linked to their “pay-it-forward” program, that gives the community the opportunity for food access and education.

With a total of 52 garden beds, Planty For the People hosts free gardening classes covering topics on how to start your own compost, harvesting, and working with the seasons, among other agricultural classes -- including cooking sessions.

Although not all the produce in the kitchen comes from the garden beds, most of the ingredients do. According to Wilcox, having the food go from the garden to the table, gives customers the opportunity to reconnect with food.

“We work with other local farmers, and along with our stuff we feel it’s very important to connect with what we eat, because sometimes people are so disconnected with their food and where it comes from,” Wilcox said. “If they come here, and they eat something, and they love it, there’s a connection that’s made because they realize the quality of it.”

His vision has earned him national recognition.

In March of last year, Wilcox left El Paso for a month to appear on the TV show “The Big Brunch” on HBO Max. The show celebrates inspiring up-and-coming culinary voices from around the country. In this competition, chefs are given the opportunity to put out their best to win a $300,000 cash prize.

Wilcox says the idea of the competition wasn’t very attractive in the beginning, but after taking a second read of the casting call and knowing Canadian actor and producer Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) was producing the show, Wilcox took his chance.

“I feel we’re doing something really special here and I am just a one little part of it, but with my wife, the community, our team and everyone that’s around supporting it, we felt it was a good opportunity to show that and also go after the prize,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox, who started cooking professionally in 1995 said, one of the things that drew him into the kitchen was the adrenaline rush of cooking under pressure, a skill that furthered his participation on the show.

“I have great respect for the judges and for Dan, and it was a crazy experience. I had no idea that I’d make it as far as I did,” Wilcox said. “I just didn’t want to go home on the first challenge, and I almost did. And so, that almost came to fruition and kind of knocked me into shape.”

Wilcox added that the experience on “The Big Brunch,” where he shared his vegan chicken and waffles, validated the hard work he, his wife and the community have put into the projects and how this experience has pushed him to work on new project ideas.

“I stretched, and I found something in myself. You know, I tend to sell myself short, I tend to maybe not believe in what I’m doing so much. I just do it because I love it,” Wilcox said. “I have a lot of ideas and it’s just kind of given me the bravery to let those ideas become actions and do stuff. I guess I needed to see for myself and feel for myself. The validation, because I mean, if I’m being honest, people around here are so nice.”

According to Wilcox, during his participation on the cooking show, he felt the responsibility to represent El Paso in the best way possible.

“I decided I was going to be ‘Mr. Cheerleader El Paso,’ and if you watch the show, you’ll see I don’t go an episode without talking about home and the food we do here,” Wilcox said. “I made sure that El Paso got the credit for its influence on my food. And then there’s just so many beautiful people that have so many great stories to share. It’s home, and it’s important.”

The arts are alive across Texas and El Pasoans are leading statewide efforts to celebrate, support, and enhance the roles that music, literature, film, and more shape our lives. Texas Cultural Trust will be recognizing artistic achievements at its Eleventh Biennial Celebration Texas Medal of Arts Awards in Austin on February 21st and 22nd to honor creative excellence while also looking ahead to the future.

Texas Cultural Trust works to bring the arts to schools and communities across the state, and is chaired by El Pasoan Judy Robison.

Robison says that supporting the arts is a priority for her and her husband, and that the couple’s philanthropy has evolved over the years and prioritizes helping women and children.

“That’s why we do it,” she says. “Education is the most important thing, whether it’s reading, science, or art. We have statistics that show that the arts keep our children in school, increase scores on standardized tests, and create a better lifestyle.”

Texas Cultural Trust’s most recent “State of the Arts” reports that high school students who complete more arts courses are twice as likely to graduate, have up to 15 percent higher pass rate on standardized tests, and 22 percent more likely to attend college than students who take fewer arts courses.

Supporting arts education in schools across Texas also serves as an investment in the state’s economic future.