Food Network’s Celebrity “Chef Jeff”

to Speak at Norfolk State Dec. 2

 

Norfolk, Va.—The Food Network’s celebrity chef and author Jeff Henderson, better known as “Chef Jeff” from the “Chef Jeff Project,” will speak at Norfolk State University. Free and open to the public, Henderson’s talk will be held at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 2 at the L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center. 

Sponsored by Smithfield Foods, Henderson’s talk will focus on his redemption after being incarcerated in a federal prison and how he turned his life around with the assistance of his family and others who took a personal interest in his success.

In the “Chef Jeff Project,” Henderson takes six at-risk young adults and commits to turning their lives around by putting them to work in his catering company, Posh Urban Cuisine, and providing them with culinary knowledge, skills and the opportunity for a new life with a culinary career. 

Growing up in the streets of South Central Los Angeles and San Diego, Henderson ran a $35,000 a week cocaine operation.  At age 24, he was sent to prison and spent the next 10 years behind bars.  While incarcerated, he discovered a passion for cooking and decided to turn his life around.

As a convicted felon and a black man in the world of haute cuisine, Henderson overcame tremendous challenges and used the intense ambition that had nearly ruined his life to help him rise to the top of the culinary profession. Henderson re-imaged himself for corporate America with help from Robert Gadsby, a high-profile chef who took a special interest in him. 

Henderson is the author of The New York Times bestselling memoir Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, From Cocaine to Foie Gras. He is an award-winning chef who made history by becoming the first African American to run a restaurant at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  He also served as executive chef of Café Bellagio.  Henderson was also named Las Vegas Chef of the Year and received the Culinary Award of Excellence.

For more information, contact Communications and Marketing at 757-823-8373.