Chef Jeff Henderson is the first African-American executive chef at the Bellagio, Food Network host, sought-after speaker, and author of the New York Times best-selling memoir Cooked .
Born in South Central Los Angeles, Jeff was raised by his mother and paternal grandparents. He was surrounded by love and discipline, but growing up poor, he stole from anyone who let their guard down. When he was 11, his family moved to San Diego to live with relatives, and Jeff graduated to breaking into houses, stealing bikes, and other typical adolescent criminal behavior.
Two years later, his mother moved him back to Los Angeles to live with his father, but that didn't help.
At 14, Jeff was arrested for stealing a bike, but released with six months' probation. At 16, he was stabbed in the chest over a gang-related dispute, and spent three days in intensive care with a collapsed lung. After the stabbing, his mother moved him back to San Diego, where he became acquainted with a drug dealers who lived in his mother's apartment complex. Jeff started working for one of the dealer's, then eventually ventured out on his own, dealing drugs all over Southern California.
It turned out that Jeff had a head for business. He was smart and focused, he mastered the art of selling drugs, making connections with suppliers in other cities, yet staying neutral and independent when it came to gangs, and avoiding violence at all costs. "I understood marketing," says Jeff. "I understood PR, the importance of relationships and a brand, but I never understood the concept of those skills until I went to prison."
In 1987, Jeff was arrested by the San Diego Drug Task Force - --made up of federal and local agents - --and charged with conspiracy with the intent to distribute. While serving nearly a decade in prison, Jeff took a job in the kitchen. He developed a passion of cooking and was trained under the mentorship of a fellow inmate, Friendly Womack. Jeff eventually worked his way up to running the kitchens. In his free time, he read cookbooks, self-help books, and newspapers, and talked to white-collar inmates - --many of them Wall Street businessmen - --about business and the corporate world.
Not long before Jeff was scheduled to be released, his prison counselor shared with him an article from USA Today about prominent African-American chefs. Jeff was intrigued and immediately wrote a letter to one of them - Robert Gadsby, who was opening a new progressive American restaurant in Los Angeles. Jeff didn't get a response from the chef, but after his release in October 1996, he didn't hesitate showing up in Gadsby's kitchen and asking for a job.
After some initial reluctance, Gadsby hired him as a dishwasher. With his foot in the door, Jeff was determined to make the most of it by working harder than anyone else in the kitchen. Under Gadsby's tutelage, Jeff soon moved from dishwashing, to the prep station, to desserts. From his prison mentors, he learned cooking as a process and a technique; as a logistical challenge as much as anything else. From Gadsby, he learned cooking as an art form. He also learned how to carry himself as a professional, work with people from all backgrounds, and to feel confident mingling with Gadsby's affluent clientele.
Jeff was focused on the job. He was always first in last out. Whenever he got paid, he bought the latest tools and books. Jeff stayed driven, working at Gadsby's restaurant for a year before leaving to make his own way through the world of fine-dining including stints as sous chef at the Coronado Island Marriott, and chef tournant and banquet chef at L.A.'s Hotel Bel-Air. Hearing about the booming restaurant scene in Las Vegas, he left Los Angeles and headed for Vegas to seek an opportunity to work at one of the top hotels on the strip. He was eventually hired at Caesars Palace, and became the first African-American Chef de Cuisine to run restaurants at the hotel.
In 2001, the American Tasting Institute named Jeff Las Vegas Chef of the Year. Jeff took advantage of his exposure to inspire disadvantaged young adults and felons. He began speaking at schools, prisons, and organizations around the country on the power of potential. He also started his company Posh Urban Cuisine, a boutique private dining company in Los Angeles. A year later Jeff returned back to Las Vegas and accepted an executive chef position at the world-renowned Bellagio.
He achieved all of this without one formal cooking class. Jeff watched, listened, and mimicked his competition. He became a master duplicator of people. If there was something about a person that he really liked, he would carefully observe their skills in order to refine his own talent. In 2007, Jeff published Cooked which landed him on Oprah. Shortly after the show aired, Sony Pictures bought the life rights to his story. At the end of his book tour, things began to take off, which led him to leave his post at the Bellagio to do private chef work, consulting, and public speaking. The same year, he launched a new show on Food Network, The Chef Jeff Project , which followed Jeff as he brought a group of disadvantaged young adults to work for his private dining company, to teach them cooking and life skills.
In 2009, Jeff published his first cookbook, Chef Jeff Cooks . In 2011, he released his third book America I AM Pass It Down Cookbook, a collection of recipes that have been passed down to preserve African Americans' food legacy. Jeff contributed as the editor for this historical project.
Jeff's story has been featured on Oprah's Life Class, Good Morning America, Today Show, CNN, ABC World News Tonight, and in USA Today, People Magazine, New York Times, Newsweek, and The Washington Post.
When Jeff is not speaking and performing cooking demonstrations across the country, he is spending quality time with his wife Stacy and their four children. Jeff currently resides in Las Vegas.
Accolades
Key to the City-Chef Jeff Day (1.21.11)
City of Omaha
2009 Role Model of the The Year
Job Train
2009 Achievement Award
Safer Foundation
2009 Role Model Youth Award
Bens Kids
2008 Best Speaker Award
Disney's Dreamers Academy
2007 Empowering Youth Award
National Urban League
2007 Rising Star Award
Las Vegas Business Press
2002 Culinary Award of Excellence
Quality Institute International
The American Tasting Institute
2001 Las Vegas Chef of The Year
Culinary Award of Excellence
TESTIMONIALS
Read what these organizations are saying about Chef Jeff
"The session was great, with a standing ovation. He's a real pro!"
GS1 US
"Chef Jeff was a hit. He truly has a great story to share."
Pennsylvania Bankers Association
"Great event...great speaker. Jeff will be a tough act to follow next year."
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
"We truly enjoyed Chef Jeff's presentatrion and commend him on his courage to share a brave story of his journey. "
Inner Media Vision, Inc.
Millions of people from around the world have heard Chef Jeff Henderson's extraordinary life story on Oprah, how he transformed himself from a prison dishwasher to award winning chef and New York Times bestselling author of his memoir COOKED .
Jeff addresses thousands of people each year from Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, government agencies, non-profit, civic and trade groups, hospitality and food service providers, colleges and universities, public schools and correctional facilities.
Why you should host Chef Jeff?
Chef Jeff demonstrates how natural talents, once recognized and transformed, can inspire your leadership and help them transform the landscape of the workplace. Companies, leaders and managers who are struggling to drive bottom-line results, enhance customer service, recruit key talent, maintain employee retention, and build effective teams can rely on Chef Jeff's expertise.
His message is unscripted and empowering. Leadership, managers, supervisors and line employees will take away straightforward personal and professional best practices, based on his extraordinary success in the high-end hospitality industry as an executive and diversity champion.
FROM THE STREETS TO THE STOVE: THE POWER OF POTENTIAL
Audiences will hear Chef Jeff's in depth life story based on his New York Times best-selling memoir COOKED, currently being adapted into a major motion picture starring Will Smith. The book chronicles Jeff's journey from millionaire drug dealer, to prison dishwasher, to award-winning chef. Audiences will learn the key principles he used to transform his life. His delivery is raw, but inspirational, unveiling the road he took to achieve personal and professional success after spending nearly a decade in prison.
WHY EDUCATION MATTERS 101
High schools, trade schools, and colleges will hear Chef Jeff's story and how self-development and education became the game changer for his professional success. Chef Jeff's emphasizes to students that it wasn't just a job he scored at a restaurant that launched his culinary career, but having the right mentors, building strategic relationships, getting an education, and transforming himself into a personal brand, that opened doors for him. His presentation will not only inspire, but provide valuable strategies for students to use after graduation.
THE COMPANY GAME FACE
Audiences will hear Chef Jeff's straightforward and proven business strategies on workplace leadership and management. Entry-level employees, supervisors, and managers, will learn Jeff's approach to changing department culture, turning talent into performance, and managing a diverse workforce. He uses his life story and extraordinary success to present his case on how to effectively increase employee performance, get bottom-line results, deliver valued customer service and retain talent. Jeff's expertise comes from over 20 years experience as a dishwasher, cook, executive baker, executive chef, and diversity champion. His resume includes tenures at Marriot, Ritz Carlton, Holiday Inn, Hotel Bel-Air, LErmitage, Hard Rock Hotel, Caesars Palace and the renowned Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
READY, SET, COOK! WITH CHEF JEFF
Your audience will hear the story of how Chef Jeff's discovery of food became the catalyst for his professional success. He will prepare a live, high-impact cooking demonstration right in the middle of his talk. The dish he prepares comes right out of the first chapter of his memoir COOKED (six courses in 60 minutes). This dish is what he prepared to clinch his first chef position in Las Vegas at the Caesars Palace. Select members of the audience will be invited on stage after the presentation to taste the dish.
THE PIPELINE TO PRISON
Chef Jeff delivers a compelling and inspirational talk to community-based organizations, at-risk juveniles, socially challenged adults, and criminal justice groups. In this lecture Jeff takes audiences on a journey through his childhood growing up in poverty in Southern California, to his rise to millionaire drug dealer at the age of 19, to his path to redemption at Terminal Island Prison, to legitimate success.
Chef Jeff is an exclusive speaker with Keppler Speakers . Please send all speaker inquiries to Gary McManis.
Chef Jeff Catering is a full service, caterer, specializing in small intimate events. Established in 2001, our exceptional world-class cuisine, and flawless execution recognizes us as a premier boutique caterer in the market today. We are committed to excellence and only the highest standards of quality when it comes to the food we serve, and the service we deliver.
Chef approach to great food, starts with vision, creativity and most importantly quality, locally seasonal ingredients that are BIG on flavor. Our team of highly experienced chefs and cooks, prepare an array of cuisine that will satisfy the culinary expectations of you and your guest, ensuring your event is a complete success.
Chef Jeff Henderson believes that creating great food, begins with understanding great taste. "At Chef Jeff Catering , cooking is not just what we do, its our passion." Chef Jeff, Executive Chef/Owner
Chef Jeff is an award wining chef, former chef at Cafe Bellagio (Las Vegas), Caesars Palace (Las Vegas), L'Ermitage (Beverly Hills), and Hotel Bel-Air (Los Angeles)
Services:
Menu Development
Private Parties
Private Cooking Lessons
Cooking Demonstrations
Mission Statement : Inspire troubled youth to believe they can achieve, engage them to think creatively and empower them to change the course their lives.
The Chef Jeff Foundation (TCJF) will be a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded by celebrity chef, Chef Jeff Henderson. Chef Jeff understands the importance of assisting socially challenged youth, because he was once a troubled youth himself. He found his path in life through education, culinary arts, employment opportunities, and various rehabilitation programs.
The Chef Jeff Foundation objective is to award various Unique Scholarships and fund various Unique Projects, for at-risk youth who are now on the path to making personal progress.
Scholarships
· The Homey Does Better Scholarship
· The David Sims Former Gang Member Scholarship
· The Friendly Womack Culinary Scholarship
Projects
· The Chef Jeff Bookshelf Project™
· The Formerly Incarcerated Project™
· The Global Youth Experience Project™
· The Taste of Education Project™
· The Friday Fruit Project™
Annual Fundraiser
The Chef Jeff Foundation Food and Wine Tasting will be an annual fundraiser that will fund scholarships, programs and bring awareness to the causes that will benefit America's troubled youth. The event will include an awards ceremony honoring our top corporate and individual sponsors, and scholarship recipients.
For more information, please inquire at info_chefjefffoundation.org
11. 14. 11 Financial and Insurance Conference San Antonio, TX.
11. 17. 11 Siemens Medical Las Vegas, NV.
01. 07. 12 Ass. of Convention Operations San Diego, CA.
02. 16. 12 Steward Associates Indianapolis, IN.
02. 24. 12 West Kentucky Coummunity College Paducah, KY.
03. 05. 12 Papa Johns International Orlando, Fl.
03. 16. 12 Butler Schein Animal Health Las Vegas, NV.
03. 24. 12 GE Appliances Orlando, FL.
03. 29. 12 Lutheran Social Services York, PA.
04. 13. 12 USLAW Network, Inc. Dana Point, CA.
04. 20. 12 Ass. of Independent Converters Chandler, AZ.
04. 22. 12 National School Boards Ass. Boston, MA.
04. 27. 12 Securian Financial Group National Harbor, MD.
04. 28. 12 United Way of Northwest Louisiana Shreveport, LA.
04. 30. 12 Infusion Nurses Society Las Vegas, NV.
05. 01. 12 Protective Life Insurance Co. Hollywood, FL.
05. 09. 12 Rhode Island Community Food Bank Providence, RI.
05. 11. 12 Compuware Corporation Kapalua, Maui
05. 16. 12 Amerinet Las Vegas, NV.
06. 25. 12 Skills USA Kansas City, MO.
07. 14. 12 Assn of Texas Professional Educator Austin, TX.
09. 16. 12 Hood Hargett Breakfast Club Charlotte, NC.
10. 01. 12 National Electrical Contractor Assn. Las Vegas, NV.
Chefs, Cooks, Waiters (on-call)
Chef Jeff Catering is always looking for talented staff to service exclusive events. If you are interested in joining our team, send your resume to stacy_chefjeffhenderson.com.
Personal Assistant (intern position)
Location: Las Vegas
The Henderson Group is currently looking for a personal assistant to work at our Las Vegas office. If you are interested in applying for internship for our company, send your resume to stacy_chefjeffhenderson.com.
This submission form should only be used to send inquries for media, personal appearances, and catering. Chef Jeff does not receive personal messages or accept unsolicted material through this website.
