Chef Jeff Cooks: In the Kitchen with America's Inspirational New Culinary Star - Hardcover

Jeff Henderson grewup in South Central Los Angeles. He is a former drug dealer who spent nearly a decade incarcerated in federal prison. It was in prison that he found his passion -- cooking. Once released, he embarked on a career as a chef.Working his way up from dishwasher to line cook, he became the first African American to be named Chef de Cuisine at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and later executive chef at Café Bellagio. His first book, the memoir Cooked, was a New York Times bestseller and is slated to become a feature film. The Chef Jeff Project, a docu-reality series on the Food Network, debuts in the fall of 2008. Jeff lives in Las Vegas with his wife and three children.

In his bestselling memoir Cooked, Henderson chronicled his improbable rise from drug dealer to professional chef; here, he returns to his favorite topic-himself-for a cookbook-paean to home cooking, fortunately filled out with family-pleasing recipes. Though happy to name-drop the great restaurants he's cooked for, Henderson shares virtually no fine dining recipes, instead focusing on classic home cooking: Big Mac's Meat Loaf, peanut butter cookies, pineapple upside down cake and a handful of simple but flavorful sandwiches and salads. When he lets the food do the talking, Henderson is a patient and insightful teacher, ideal for those new to the kitchen and complete with ideas for stretching budgets and pantries. A doting parent, Henderson frequently lightens up entrees by substituting, for instance, ground turkey for beef in his chili or soy yogurt for a parfait. Other kid-friendly favorites like Macaroni and Smoked Cheddar Cheese, grilled corn and a simple fruit salad should please. When he does stray from the standard, results are usually interesting, as in his Sweet Corn Vinaigrette dressing and a rich and velvety sweet potato soup (though readers should pause before drizzling ketchup atop his ground beef tacos). Those looking for an introductory cookbook or some simple family-pleasing meals will find them in these flavorful, to-the-point recipes; Henderson's self-aggrandizing shtick, however, remains tiresome.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.