A chef in South Norwalk is in a league of his own – and he's got the hardware to prove it.

Andrea Williams, owner of MaaMa by Cheese and Bread Norwalk, was recently named champion of the European cooking competition show "Chef League."

"I'm really excited now," Williams says, "But it was really stressful. It wasn't easy for me."

The show was filmed in the country of Georgia. Williams wowed the judges, beating out a dozen other cooks to claim the title.

"I do everything by hand, so it's really important what the people think about my food," Williams says. "Right now, I know that they think I'm good, which is a good feeling for me."

When MaaMa opened in 2024, it was Norwalk's first restaurant to serve Georgian food. Williams says most people don't know what Georgian food is. He hopes the recognition brings more folks into the restaurant to try his food.

"Our food is modern comfort food, which I think is for everyone in the world," Williams says. "The comfort food is like recipes of our grandma, our grandfathers, and how we prepared the food at home."