'Chef Jeff' Cooking Up MLK Day Convocation Talk

Tuesday, January 03, 2017

Chef Jeff

Life's Lessons: Jeff Henderson went from the mean streets and prison to becoming an award-winning chef, bestselling author and Food Network television star.

Rose-Hulman's special Martin Luther King Jr. Day convocation Jan. 16 will feature celebrity chef Jeff Henderson.

Henderson's talk, part of the institute's Diversity Speaker Series, will run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Hatfield Hall Theater. It is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and advance reservations are required at http://rosestem.rose-hulman.edu/ChefJeffConvocation.

Henderson discovered his passion and gift for cooking in a most unlikely place-prison. Now an award-winning chef, bestselling author and Food Network television star, his inspiring life story is being adapted into a major feature film by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

The convocation program at Rose-Hulman will draw from Henderson's life lessons - from the streets to the stove - to showcase how people can overcome adversity to identify their own personal gifts and reinvent their lives.

"Drawing from his personal journey of redemption, Chef Jeff provides real-life strategies and unique life lessons to help others reboot their own dreams, expand their perspective and gain a new foothold on the ladder to success," says Janice Fenn, director of Rose-Hulman's Center for Diversity, which organizes the Diversity Speaker Series.

Henderson is the creator of the Food Network's reality series, "The Chef Jeff Project," host of "Family Style with Chef Jeff" and star of the popular series, "Flip My Food with Chef Jeff," in which he meets with guests from across the country and teaches them how to "flip" their favorite dishes and guilty food pleasures into healthier culinary masterpieces. He also is a frequent guest on "The Today Show," "Good Morning America" and Cable News Network shows.

His recent bestselling book, "If You Can See It, You Can Be It," outlines his 12 street-smart recipes for success, helping readers discover their hidden business aptitudes, make life-changing decisions and strive for new levels of personal and professional success.