Chef for music legends, 'American Idol' working in the Monroe County 4-H Dining Hall

Ella Dudek has cooked for music legends like Jimmy Buffet, Bob Seger, the Grateful Dead and John Mellencamp. She’s cooked for "American Idol." Now, she’s cooking at the Monroe County Fair.

After years on the road, Dudek recently returned to her native Ohio and opened a restaurant. This week, she’s leading a group of volunteers and is serving breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks at the 4-H Activity Center Dining Hall.

In addition to the hall's traditional offerings, such as hamburgers and breakfast sandwiches, Dudek will serve some of her specialties, like pulled pork with her blueberry bourbon barbecue sauce, Not Your Grandma’s Bread Pudding, Better Than My Mama’s Potato Salad and dinners that come with mini desserts.

"We’re meat and potatoes. We’re not serving hummus at the fair," Dudek said.

Her goal is to raise $30,000 in the dining hall during fair week

“They think the best year they had was $25,000 to $27,000,” Dudek said.

Dudek, who's been cooking for nearly 50 years, said her purpose in life is to “feed the masses.” A self-taught chef, she got started at age 8. Her mom was a single parent who worked three jobs. Dudek’s sister made dinner, until the day Dudek called her a bad cook.

“My mom said, ‘From now on, you’re the cook in the family.' I cooked for six people. Every night at 5:30, when mom came home, I had dinner on the table,” Dudek said.

That began a culinary career that has spanned more than four decades.

For many of the years, Dudek was a tour chef for musicians. At each tour stop, she'd hire new help, set up a new kitchen and feed the staff at an allotted time, to avoid meal penalties.

“In Savannah, Georgia, with no power, we cooked for Mellencamp in 110 degree heat. We used a grill. Then we traveled down the road to the next city. I was organized and had to hold a crew together, even in the worst of scenarios. I can handle those things. I’m a crazy people when it comes to thinking forward," Dudek said.

Eventually, she was discovered by "American Idol."

“'American Idol' found me in Detroit nine years ago. They partnered with Live Nation to film in Detroit. After the first week, they wanted me in Los Angeles to be their chef. They gave a golden ticket, and I went to LA without singing,” Dudek said.

But when the pandemic began, she lost her catering business, and TV production stopped.

“I was despondent for seven days," Dudek said. On the eighth day, she knew what she had to do.

“I got my apron on. I had to cook. There were people at home stranded. They didn’t know how to cook. I made videos in my kitchen, 'Eats with Ella,'" Dudek said.

A writer from "American Idol" created a theme song for her show.

“He sent it back to me, produced, in just 24 hours. We were off and running. We created a brand. I made 68 episodes during COVID," Dudek said.

On one episode, she came up with a name for a blend of 13 spices she'd always used.

“Ella’s Magic Dust. It's my blend of spices. I still sell it. It’s all over the country and in Canada," she said.

Post-pandemic, Dudek got into health and safety and helped TV shows like "American Idol" get back into filming safely.

“People didn’t know they ran out of TV during COVID. They ran out of everything to air. They needed plans and guidelines. One of the first on the road was 'American Idol.' I was put in charge of a virus because I never had a food illness," Dudek said.

That lead her back into music.

"One night I got a call from Foo Fighters. They said, ‘You got "American Idol" back on the road.' The next thing I knew I was on a plane to Alaska. We tested in Alaska for a rock ’n’ roll show. There was no vaccine up there. I was in charge of getting thousands through testing," Dudek said.

But, nine weeks ago, Dudek decided to leave the road and go home. She and her wife of 12 years, Jenifer, returned to their native Sylvania, Ohio, area.

Today, Dudek hosts cooking segments on Toledo’s Channels 11 and 13, and she opened Backstage Eats and Drinks, 5680 Mayberry Square, Sylvania.

“I am based in one place. Backstage Eats and Drinks is like walking into my dining room backstage at the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit. We have art, candles, flower, it's a whole experience," Dudek said. "Normal, everyday Joes can try the food I made for the stars. It's food that once was only for the legends of rock."

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Chef for music legends working in the Monroe 4-H Dining Hall