- Salt Lake teen Merrill Oaks won a national cooking competition in Fort Worth, Texas.
- Merrill, mentored by Utah State Fair cooking judges, is now prepping for the World Food Championships.
- The 13-year-old balances cooking with Type 1 diabetes and runs a neighborhood gelato business.
SALT LAKE CITY — When Merrill Oaks was 5 years old, he watched the movie “Ratatouille” for the first time.
“From that point forward, I was like, ‘Hey, cooking kinda looks fun.’ So we made an omelet after that, and it all started from there,” Merrill said.
Seven years later, Merrill won first place at the Steak Cookoff Association World Championships in Fort Worth, Texas…