For most of his career, Ronald Weber has preferred staying behind the scenes.

Known by friends and colleagues as someone who values a quiet life over public recognition, Weber had never shown much interest in entering high-profile cooking competitions. But according to his family, there was one contest he simply couldn’t say no to.

His wife had encouraged him several times to compete in shows similar to Top Chef, believing his talent deserved a bigger audience. Weber always declined, uncomfortable with the spotlight and far more interested in focusing on his work in the kitchen than building a public profile.

Everything changed when she suggested Favorite Chef.

Unlike traditional television competitions, the national contest offered an opportunity to showcase his culinary journey while raising money for the James Beard Foundation, making it a challenge Weber ultimately agreed to pursue.

Cooking has been part of Weber’s life since childhood.

Growing up in southeastern Wisconsin, he watched his father open and close several restaurants over the years, learning the business firsthand before his father’s passing in February 2025.

“He kinda got me into it,” Weber said, recalling his early days working at Ferch’s Malt Shop and Grill before steadily climbing from dishwasher to head chef and later helping launch a friend’s restaurant kitchen.

His career continued to grow at Pier 290 on Geneva Lake, where he worked his way from line cook to executive sous chef.

More than the food itself, Weber says it was the people who kept him passionate about restaurant life.

Referencing Anthony Bourdain’s famous description of professional kitchens as a refuge for misfits, Weber said the sense of camaraderie became what he loved most about the industry.

Life outside the kitchen changed dramatically over the past few years.

After marrying in 2023, Weber and his wife welcomed their first daughter before enduring the loss of his father in 2025. With another child on the way and his wife’s dream career taking off, the family relocated to Columbia, South Carolina, where they could also be closer to her parents.

The move eventually led Weber to The Hollow, a forest-to-table restaurant that specializes in woodland American cuisine.

“There, it’s really free,” Weber explained. “I get to play with recipes, sauce options, and things like that.”

The restaurant has embraced locally sourced ingredients while educating diners about fresh game and root vegetables, giving Weber creative freedom that perfectly matches his cooking style.

Meanwhile, his unexpected journey through Favorite Chef has become one of the competition’s feel-good stories.

Despite initially worrying that he wouldn’t have enough time to manage the campaign surrounding the contest, Weber found himself climbing to first place in his group, thanks to overwhelming support from both his new community in South Carolina and longtime supporters back in Wisconsin.

“I didn’t expect to get this far,” he admitted.

The competition is organized through Colossal in partnership with Taste of Home Magazine, while serving as a fundraiser benefiting the James Beard Foundation. Since launching the annual Favorite Chef competition, Colossal has raised more than $12.9 million to support the foundation’s culinary education, sustainability, and inclusivity programs.

The eventual winner will receive $25,000, appear in Taste of Home Magazine, and earn the opportunity to cook alongside celebrity chef Carla Hall.

As the contest moves through multiple elimination rounds—including the Group Finals, Wildcard Round, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals—public voting will determine who advances all the way to the championship, with the overall winner scheduled to be announced on September 3, 2026.

Supporters are allowed one free vote each day, while optional paid votes contribute directly toward fundraising efforts for the James Beard Foundation.

For someone who never set out to become a public figure, Weber now finds himself one of the competition’s strongest contenders—all because of one suggestion from the person who believed in him before anyone else did.