The Utah Restaurant Association (URA) honored Deer Valley Resort Food & Beverage Director Jodie Rogers as Chef of the Year at the 2019 Utah Restaurant Industry Awards Gala. Guests gathered at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center to recognize stand-out culinary professionals in URA’s 76th year of serving Utah’s restaurant and food service industry.

Rogers served as the first female MentorChef on Season 4 of ABC4’s TeenChef Pro where she and two additional MentorChefs provided guidance to 12 TeenChefs over the course of 13 weeks. Teens competed for a 4-year scholarship to Johnson & Wales University Denver Campus to begin their dream of becoming a professional chef.

“Jodie is an exemplar of what the restaurant and hospitality industry is all about,” said Melva Sine, president and CEO of the Utah Restaurant Association. “She serves her community as a board member of both the Utah Restaurant Association and the Park City Area Restaurant Association. She donates her very precious free time to mentor ProStart students all while overseeing food and beverage operations and maintaining the highest level of excellence in the kitchens of an international dining destination, and still finding time to cook at the prestigious James Beard House. There is nothing she cannot do. Jodie Rogers is exactly who makes Utah restaurants so special and the Utah food community so dynamic. She is a gift to our industry.”

An Australian native, Rogers’ 20-year cooking career includes stints in several hotels in Sydney as well as a successful opening of Toast Bar and Restaurant in London. She has also had the honor of cooking at the renowned James Beard House in New York City and on NBC’s The Today Show. Rogers has held the role of Deer Valley Resort’s Food and Beverage Director since 2015 and oversees all of Deer Valley Resort’s 14 restaurants, bakery and banquet operations.

“We couldn’t be prouder of the time and effort Jodie has dedicated to young, aspiring chefs through her work as a MentorChef on ABC4’s TeenChef Pro,” said Todd Shallan, Deer Valley Resort president and chief operating officer. “Her stellar reputation and accolades earned here at Deer Valley precede her, and on behalf of our resort family, we wish her the utmost congratulations on being named the Utah Restaurant Association’s Chef of the Year.”