Call him the little home chef who could. Or perhaps it was birthday luck?
TODAY.com video producer Kyle Michael Miller -- the complete underdog of the race -- bested our famous weatherman Al Roker and TODAY.com site director Jen Brown to win the very first Home Chef Challenge.
We will never doubt the power of Grandma's Ham Loaf again. Kyle's recipe has been added to TODAY.com's recipe database, stacked up against famous chefs like Giada De Laurentiis and Mark Bittman. Find it here.
From here on out, we're turning the Home Chef Challenge over to our viewers. Each week three of you will compete for top honors to be the featured dish of the week. The next trio is already neck-and-neck in the voting -- make sure to select your favorite here.
Think one of your recipes deserves to be the featured home chef dish of the week? Submit your recipe and a high-resolution image of the dish on our TODAY Food Facebook page.
Here is a short bio of Kyle talking about his cooking prowess. Congratulate him (and wish him a happy birthday) in the comments below.
Name: Kyle Michael Miller
Age: 25 years old (today!)
Hometown: Canton, Ohio
Winning recipe: Grandma's Ham Loaf
How does it feel to win the Home Chef Challenge?
It’s extremely exciting to win the Home Chef Challenge! Such a feeling of cooking accomplishment -- I am thrilled! I had a hopeful expectation that Grandma’s ham loaf recipe would reign supreme over Al Roker’s chicken dish and Jen Brown’s casserole, but I was flattered that it took such a huge lead over the other recipes.
How long have you been cooking?
I would actually say I’ve only been cooking for about the last seven months – ever since I moved into my apartment in the NYC area. But I definitely don’t consider myself a cook yet! In all transparency, when I head back to Ohio, Grandma always sends back some of her homemade dishes that I can keep in the freezer and throw in the oven when I need a nice meal. But I am trying to get better at cooking new dishes on my own.
Share your favorite cooking tip
My favorite cooking tip would be to cook with Grandma! Or just have Grandma cook for you! Seriously, Grandmas know EVERYTHING there is to know in the food department.
What would be your ideal last meal?
My ideal last meal would be Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Grandma. I mean c’mon! Is there really anything better than a fresh, juicy turkey, mashed potatoes drenched in mouth water gravy, noodles so delicious that you get “food chills,” and savory sweet potato casserole that makes you want to do back flips through the kitchen?