Mini Biography

The driving force behind Chef Robert Catering is Robert Lamkin, who first studied under the watchful eyes of some of San Francisco's top chefs, and then perfected his craft on the sets of more than 100 movies. Since starting with Kevin Costner's epic "Dances With Wolves" (on which the crew bestowed Lamkin with the nickname "Chef Robert" in response to one of his more memorable on-set "personalities"), Lamkin has become one of the film industry's most innovative and in-demand caterers. He and his crews provide the rare mixture of exemplary culinary skills, precise attention to service details, and professionalism.

After working for several large catering companies, Lamkin set out on his own in 1999 with a single truck that he bought with his credit cards and a commercial barbecue he built himself. The company now has four complete crews that work simultaneously on various film and television projects, as well as private affairs. "There is an old saying that an army marches on its stomach," Lamkin says. "Movie producers who hire us want their armies to march on stomachs that we fill. Invariably their armies are happier when we're cooking."

Chef Robert prides himself on the variety and creativity that goes into his catering. He can cater a 100-day film shoot without repeating a single dish. Of course, we will repeat certain dishes if popular demand requires the dish; and it invariably does. But constant innovation is the foundation on which our company is being built. To that end, we go so far as to regularly bring in specialty and celebrity chefs to keep the fare exciting and the crew happy.

When he is not in the kitchen, Chef Robert is an active supporter of a variety of community causes. For example, Chef Robert Catering sponsors and produces the enormously successful annual "Chef Robert Class Act Bake-Off" at Joaquin Miller High School in Reseda, a school for students with special needs. The students compete with their favorite cookie recipes in hopes of winning an internship with Chef Robert on a movie or television production. In addition to being a thrill for the student competitors, a goal of the Bake-Off is to help create awareness in the community of the viability of these students as productive members of the workforce. Chef Robert also supports Chrysalis, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities. Chef Robert Catering has enthusiastically hired two employees though the Chrysalis organization and plans to participate in numerous Chrysalis fundraising events.

Chef Robert enjoys golfing, skydiving, and snow skiing, as well as investing in real estate and the stock market.

Robert A. Lamkin (Vice Chairman)

... James by the Coward Robert Ford