Robert Hammond has had a lifelong interest in the culinary arts. He trained in France under Chef Raymond Oliver and then returned to the United States where he was awarded an A.O.S. degree in Culinary Technology from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in Asheville, North Carolina. After graduation, Robert was granted an internship at the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia and then had the privilege to apprentice under a master Chocolatier in North Carolina.

A 38-year veteran in the food industry, Robert has served as Chef at many of the country’s finest restaurants and hotels. These include the Biltmore House Vanderbilt Estate in Asheville, North Carolina; Shreveport Hilton in Bossier City, Louisiana; and the Transco Energy Company in Houston, Texas. In addition, he has served as a pastry chef for Brennan's Restaurant in Houston, Texas and Dilettante Chocolates in Seattle, Washington.

Robert was a founding member of world renowned Moonstruck Chocolate Company in Portland, Oregon where he served as Mâitre de Chocolatier, developing much of the current confectionery and drink lines.

He has taught for the North Carolina Department of Community Colleges, Houston Community College, Maui Community College, Western Culinary Institute of Portland, Oregon, and the Art Institute of Atlanta, Georgia.

As an advocate for the preservation of traditional American foods and sustainable lifestyle, lives on a farm in Warren, Oregon, a community just outside of Portland. He is a member of the American Culinary Federation, International Association of Culinary Professionals, Slow Food USA, Seed Savers Exchange, Chef’s Collaborative and the Portland Culinary Alliance