The first time Rick Dudas tried his hand at cooking, he did it over coals on an open fire.
As a 6-year-old boy, his father Richard guided him through the process.
"We had a house in the mountains by Seven Springs and the first thing I ever cooked was an egg, which is probably the hardest thing to cook perfect," said the Monessen native. "It seems simple, but it's not."
Since then, he's cooked for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Washington Redskins, three United States presidents, numerous ambassadors and a prince.
Dudas will cook for those who attend the second installment of the Monessen Heritage Museum's ethnic chefs series set for 4 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Monessen Heritage Museum. The menu he will share is based on an Eastern European menu he did while working at the University of Pittsburgh for the School of Eastern European Studies.
He explained that it's an abbreviated menu of the original, which had 15 courses.
The menu includes carmelized pork loin with roasted beets, horseradish and roasted root vegetables, skillet browned sauerkraut with oven browned shallots and applewood smoked beans, sweet chilled cream of cherry soup and traditional nut rolls with walnuts and apricots.
Dudas said he is happy to share his ideas and secrets as well as the food he creates during the gathering.
Dudas discovered his passion for cooking while pursuing a degree in biology at California University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduation in 1983, Dudas took cooking classes at Westmoreland County Community College and went to work in Smitty's Restaurant, which had just opened in Speers. He stayed there for a while until a flood hit the restaurant.
"Meanwhile I had a job opportunity at the National Democratic Club in Washington, D.C., so I took the job there," said Dudas.
Then came the opportunity of a lifetime -- he was awarded a scholarship by Julia Child to go to cooking school in France for two years.
"I came back from there and I worked everywhere after that," said Dudas, explaining he worked in Boston, Miami and Nassau, Bahamas.
Family ties brought him back to Monessen about 10 years ago.
His greatest reward for cooking is the payback from those who enjoy the food.
"What I'm putting into it ...," he said, "I want to see happiness or satisfaction."
"He's an inspirational chef," said Susanna Swade, secretary of the Greater Monessen Historical Society.
Swade added Dudas is known for his innovative recipes and for doing his homework regarding the dishes he creates.
She said the museum is seeking other chefs to share their talents at the museum in the new year.
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