Thirty-four thousand people auditioned for “Masterchef,” and even though Niles wasn’t chosen as one of the applicants to take part in the show, he did survive to the last elimination round, allowing him to cook for his hero, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey. Ramsey said Niles was born for cooking, leaving Niles fearing he would cry on national television because:
“. . . it felt so good to have one of your cooking heroes to really confirm your cooking skills.”
With the confidence and public exposure gained from the experience, Niles has set out to help his city. He is pastor of Dad’s House Church, which raised a total of $5,500 to fund a three-month program to teach culinary skills to Yakima kids. Following the course, the students will try their hand at running a restaurant for three nights. Niles hopes to launch the program by the end of June, 2017.
Efforts like this can benefit if organizers work with brochure printers to create a mailer that explains the program.