For the helpless Northern students living on Ramen noodles, frozen pizzas and McDonald’s, a push in the right culinary direction is coming to campus.

Kevin Roberts, a 35-year-old Los Angeles native, is the author of two cookbooks geared toward the college crowd. He will give his “Cook or Starve” presentation on Thursday, March 13 in the Great Lakes Rooms of the University Center.

“Eat well, drink well, love well, live well . that’s my mantra,” says Roberts, who is dubbed “The Food Dude,” and also owns a handful of restaurants in the San Diego area and has appeared on numerous television shows. He’s perfected the easy-to-prepare, cheap and healthy meal for those who feel lost in the kitchen.

Growing up, a number of Roberts’ family members worked in restaurants. In high school, he and his friends would hold friendly competitions at barbecues and while tailgating. Always trying to top his friends with wild new concoctions, Roberts eventually had a bit of a revelation.

“I just started compiling these recipes and I thought, ‘You know, I might be on to something here!'” he said.

After working for a few years as a cook in both restaurants and for the cast and crews of television shows, including “Malcom in the Middle” and “Grounded for Life,” Roberts decided he had enough material to put together his first cookbook.

“I put my proposal together and in three days I had a New York publishing deal,” he said. His first book was published in 2004 and he’s been on the road ever since.

That first book was “Munchies: Cook What You Want, Eat What You Like. Finally, A Cookbook Even You Will Use.” Geared mostly towards culinary-challenged males, the book holds 100 simple recipes like Atomic Wings and Quick Quesadillas.

“‘Munchies’ is a cheap, simple, tasty and healthy book of recipes for college students and young adults,” Roberts said. “It’s to get them back into the kitchen cooking instead of eating Taco Bell every day.”

The success of “Munchies” ignited Roberts’ career, earning him spots on ESPN’s “Cold Pizza,” FOX’s “Mike & Juliet Show” and “The Martha Stewart Show.”

One of Roberts’ calling-cards is his chicken wings, which he has prepared for both Bernie Mac and Snoop Dogg.

“I boil the wings first, and then I grill them. So, they’re tender on the inside and the boiling knocks off about 80 percent of the fat. And then I grill them to make them nice and crispy,” Roberts said.

The key ingredient to his wings, however, is his favorite product on the market: Frank’s RedHot hot sauce. The sauce, which Roberts has been using for years, is the hot sauce which was used to make the original buffalo wing. His love for the product led to him signing a three-year contact to be their national spokesperson.

Not surprisingly, Roberts has a bottle of Frank’s RedHot on every table in his San Diego restaurants.

“I use it because it’s the best hot sauce on the planet. It actually just won best hot sauce in America . over stupid Tabasco,” he said.

Roberts’ second cookbook, published in August of 2007, is a date-oriented cookbook for men titled “Kissing in the Kitchen: Cooking With Passion.”

While still traveling to colleges and doing television and radio shows to promote the book, Roberts has also been spending time in New York filming an upcoming reality show that will air in May.

For more information, including recipes, tour dates and videos of various television appearances, visit Roberts’ Web site at www.munchiestv.com.

Veggie Lasagna Rolls:

6) Add remaining tomato sauce and remaining mozzarella on top of rolls. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until cooked through and cheese is melted.