Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras

COOKED: FROM THE STREETS TO THE STOVE, FROM COCAINE TO FOIE GRAS: Jeff Henderson: William Morrow Publishing: c2007: Biography: 275 pgs.

This ain’t yo mama’s cookbook. This is Jeff Henderson’s bio—and it isn’t for the faint of heart. Former gangsta’ and current chef du jour, Henderson recounts how he began life as a ghetto kid--cooking crack cocaine in the streets. The narrative seems commonplace enough and the usual stereotypes apply: black kid, poverty-stricken, no father, mother working 2 jobs, street crime turns into prison time. But that’s when the recipe changes because "Cooked" has an unconventional, fairy-tale ending.

But Henderson had no fairy godmother. After being sentenced to 20 years in prison, he drew lots and got stuck with dish duty. Except once he realized his street skills had value, he quickly became interested in the more creative aspects of cooking. It all started with smuggling Ramen Noodle seasoning packets into the kitchen from care packages sent to inmates at holidays. That’s when the nacho cheese sauce went from bland to kickin’. After tasting this culinary masterpiece, his brothers in the pen wanted more, and his spiced up sauce was only the beginning. And the tale goes on, following Jeff as he flambé(s) his way to his present status as executive chef of the illustrious 5-star restaurant at the Bellagio, Las Vegas.

To fit into his new lifestyle, Henderson was forced to re-image himself from a tattooed street thug into a Hollywood cover model. However, one thing Henderson didn’t leave in the streets was his use of expletives—he’s profane and prolifically so. I snapped up the book after listening to a riveting NPR interview with the master chef. But, if you don’t find vulgarity tasty be prepared for disappointment. If using certain profanities more than twice makes a movie rated ‘R’, then "Cooked" makes the cut starting page 2.

DLA