Rick Tabor cooks as the new master chef at ETSU’s Main Meal cafeteria, now known as the Marketplace.
Tabor came to ETSU as a winner of a culinary showcase competition sponsored by Aramark, the company that provides ETSU’s campus dining services
When Tabor entered the competition, he was the master chef at Concord College. Other competing chefs were from other schools in several states, including Florida, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.
When asked what home base position he preferred, he chose ETSU.
“He’s very enthusiastic, and he aims to please both customers and students,” said catering director Claudine Anderson, one of the many who work with Tabor.
Tabor admits to singing while he cooks and will sometimes even sing while serving food to both students and faculty.
“If I could bring a little piece of happiness to every person I meet at ETSU campus, then God has truly blessed me with the gifts of smiles and happy expressions,” Tabor said. “I wrote several songs for gospel music, and I like being around kids and letting them know how special they are.”
Tabor gives much credit to his wife, his daughter and ETSU.
“Having a wonderful management staff that allows me to do what I like to do helps me treat the kids the way I really want to,” he said.
Tabor owes much of his success to his experiences in the U.S. Navy, where he cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner for 5,600 sailors each day aboard an aircraft carrier.
He was then sent to culinary school in San Diego, Calif., and Chicago, Ill., where he ranked first in his class and became a master chef.
When he returned to the aircraft carrier, he served as the captain’s personal chef. Since then, Tabor has worked for resorts and even managed some of his own restaurants.
“He’s made all of the catering look beautiful on and off campus and treats everything like a VIP function,” Anderson said.
Tabor has served a long list of elites, including Presidents Bush and Reagan, the king of Morocco and the prince of Alger. He has also served musicians such as Pam Tillis, Alabama and Aerosmith.

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