So I've got a question for you, how are you in the kitchen?

I often say I make a mean reservation.

I'm not a very good cook.

But tonight, we celebrate someone who is.

Chef Pamela Roberts, instructor at Central Piedmont Community College and host of "Charlotte Cooks" here on PBS Charlotte.

She's been serving up more than recipes over the last 20 years.

"Carolina Impact's" Chris Clark takes a closer look at the woman behind the apron.

- [Chris] Most things in the kitchen come with an expiration date, but I don't know anything that lasts for 20 years other than "Charlotte Cooks."

The show launched in 2005 with a variety of chefs from the culinary program at Central Piedmont Community College.

But host Pam Roberts has kept the show fresh since 2007, serving up culinary lessons and local flavor.

- Most feedback I get from people who watch the show is that you make it look easy- You'll let them dry out, right?

- And you make me think that I can do it too.

- Absolutely, yeah.

- And that's basically what the show is about.

- [Chris] What it's about now.

When Pam first heard about "Charlotte Cooks," it was a fledgling show with rotating guest chefs.

Newly hired and curious, she tuned in to see what all the buzz was about.

What she witnessed wasn't exactly a masterclass in cooking.

- One of the gentlemen that did the show, he was doing it outside and was doing one of those beer can chickens.

Well, it caught on fire behind him and it was just burning and burning, and he was like standing there pretending like it wasn't even happening, and I'm like, oh my goodness.

(laughs) - [Chris] Over the years, "Charlotte Cooks" transformed into an engaging culinary experience.

It became clear Pam couldn't do the food preparation alone.

She needed some help.

Enter her students, eager, curious, and ready to roll up their sleeves.

What started as a practical solution became a win-win.

- They got to see that the culinary industry is not just hotels, restaurants, or country clubs, what it's like to eat food in the movies and all that kind of thing.

- [Chris] With the extra help, Pam found herself with something she hadn't had in a while, time, and it was a game changer.

- And I was able to go out into the community and find chefs that were willing to be on the show.

- [Chris] Some took to the environment right away, others not so much.

- They see that red light and they freeze, and that's all they do is stand there and freeze, and I'm like, okay.

- [Chris] For some, the concern wasn't the camera but rather a voice as rich as their recipes.

- It's give more richness to the risotto.

- Raffaele comes on board, and I'm not throwing him under the bus because I love Raffaele very much.

My biggest concern was he had a very strong Italian accent.

- I'm originally from Rome.

- I'm trying to listen and I'm trying to pay attention to the camera and to pay attention to the food, and most of the time I'm like, I don't know what he's saying.

(laughs) - Take out the bottom, just because in this way- - Once he got on the air, everybody loved him.

Thank you.

- Thank you so much for having us.

- They just ate him up like sugar.

- [Chris] It's not just the guests that keep her on her toes.

Sometimes the food decides it'll be ready on its own time, not hers.

- One time, we did a show about bread and we were making homemade bread, right?

And I don't know if you've ever made bread, but bread rises and when it reaches a point where it's risen, it's ready to go on the oven.

And so I run off the set to go get it and I come back, they're adjusting microphones, they're doing this, they're doing that.

I don't know what they were doing, but some kind of TV technical stuff.

And the bread is literally coming up and going over the edges and it's alive, and it's like, I'm like, "Guys, we gotta go now."

- [Chris] Bread is the simple kind of thing that brings everybody to the table, but this show is about culinary curiosity, where unexpected combinations reign supreme, like the time Chef Oscar Johnson from Jimmy Pearls Eatery wanted to make tomato pudding, for instance.

- He said, "I'm gonna make ham jam, tomato and ham jam, and then we're gonna make tomato pudding."

The tomato pudding was kind of like a bread pudding made with tomatoes.

- [Chris] Bread and tomatoes are ingredients people can at least wrap their heads around, but what about the bits most of us would toss without a second thought?

In Pam's kitchen, even castoffs get a second chance.

- Most people don't have any idea you can actually make a chocolate mousse outta that juice that comes out of your canned chickpeas.

You strain 'em off and you make that juice, and you whip it up, it whips up just like egg whites.

We added melted chocolate, we added sugar.

Make the recipe, don't look at it too close, close your eyes and eat it because it's good.

- [Chris] Pam Roberts isn't just a chef, she's an artist both in and out of the kitchen.

Before she ever picked up a chef's knife, she was wielding a paintbrush.

One of her pieces even hangs in the Mint Museum.

She credits her artistic eye for the ability to plate dishes that look as stunning as they taste.

- My artwork has always been around color, form, and texture.

And if you think about food, color, form, the shape of the food, and texture, the textures of the food, you make a wonderful combination of colors, a variety of textures, a variety of flavors, and you plate it so it's attractive.

- [Chris] Pam's journey from the canvas to the kitchen was as seamless as blending colors on a palette.

Cooking soon became her full-time craft, but it didn't stop there.

Her passion for creating eventually led her to the classroom where she discovered something she loved even more than making art or food, and that's sharing it with others.

- The thing I really like about teaching cooking is that I'm inspiring these young chefs to go out there and make a difference in the world.

I've had two chefs come, two kids come to me this week from my career development class telling me that they've gotten good jobs and good job offers.

- [Chris] The kitchen be a place to experiment, to push boundaries, and yes, even to fail.

Pam encourages everyone to embrace the messiness of cooking, knowing every mistake is just an opportunity in disguise.

After all, sometimes the most unexpected outcomes lead to the most unforgettable dishes.

- If it doesn't turn out like the recipe, then that's okay, call it something else.

I was doing a catering job and I was supposed to be making an orange lavender sorbet, and I said, "Yes, you got a freezer, but you don't have any room for my sorbet."

So the sorbet turned into soup.

(laughs) And so I served it as a lavender orange soup in smaller bowls and they loved it.

- [Chris] For nearly 20 years, Pam Roberts has done more than teach recipes.

She's inspired creativity and confidence in the kitchen.

Charlotte Cooks isn't just about food, it's about embracing mistakes, experimenting boldly, and finding joy in the unexpected.

Pam turned a simple cooking show into a lasting legacy, and her message is clear, you can do it too.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Chris Clark.