Roslindale native, Bob Wheaton, is living the food-lover's dream. He's parlayed his life-long passion into a career he loves.

"All my life I've been cooking," says Wheaton, who began his career just down the street from his current place of work.

"I was like 12 or 13, washing dishes at this place down the road. I just watched chefs doing it and just started getting into it," says Wheaton of how he was introduced to the world of cooking.

Wheaton is currently head chef at The Olde Irish Alehouse in Dedham, offering a wide variety of food, but specializes in pub-style and Irish food. It features a bar, which Wheaton calls a hotspot for locals to come watch games, and hosts live entertainment.

"It's a nice atmosphere. It's a nice pub to come watch the ballgames. We've got live entertainment on Wednesday nights," says Wheaton.

And, without a question, it's the place to be for St. Patrick's Day.

"On St. Patrick's Day we probably go through about 300 pounds of corned beef. It's non-stop here for like 15 hours. We feed about 800 people that day," he says.

Wheaton was educated in the ways of cooking on many different levels throughout his career.

He attended Bunker Hill Community College where he studied hotel and restaurant management and culinary arts. After that, he worked at the Sheraton in Boston for 8 years, which gave him the opportunity to further his culinary education – and travel.

"I was in what they call their corporate sous chef training program. They send you all over the country to help open different hotels, and work in different departments," says Wheaton.

He has also experienced the food catering industry, but much prefers working in freestanding restaurants where he's able to exercise the craft of cooking as an art form.

"I worked for Sodexo, a catering company, and it just got kind of boring. You didn't get to use your imagination [when cooking]. In here, you get to do that more. When you work for those kind of companies, you go by recipes," says Wheaton.

Below, Wheaton has offered to share one of his favorite recipes.

Chicken Broccoli & Penne Pasta

• 8 oz chicken
• 4 oz cooked penne pasta
• 5 oz cooked broccoli
• ½ cup flour
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• ¼ cup white wine
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp oil
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• Chopped parsley

Put oil in pan, heat on medium and add garlic to oil. Dredge cut up chicken in flour, add chicken to hot oil. Turn after 2-3 minutes. Add white wine and salt & pepper. Add cooked penne pasta and cooked broccoli. Cook until chicken is golden brown. Add chicken stock. Let simmer 4-5 minutes or until stock is thick. Finish with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.