Mr. Henderson is the executive chef at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. He is supremely talented, motivated and a shining example of mind over matter. The matter being a ghetto upbringing in California.
Before he wowed critics with his innovative cooking, he was cooking something else and somewhere else. He sold drugs on the streets of San Diego and Los Angeles until he was busted.
He served almost 10 years of a 20-year sentence in the pen. He was a scarily successful drug dealer, who made his first million by the age of 24. He stole, he lied, he cheated and he paid a very high price. As he said, “Don’t do the crime, if you can’t do the time.”
Well, he did and he freely admits it was the best thing that could have happened to him.
His time in prison was time for introspection and education that never would have been available otherwise. He studied religions, he studied people, he read books and all newspapers. He befriended white collar criminals, mafia dons and kosher Jewish bakers. He is one of the best examples I have seen of making the most of one’s surroundings. He learned where and when he could. He learned from the people around him instead of shutting them out and wallowing in self-pity.
Like many criminals, he initially thought he was not accountable for his actions. The white man, the gangsters, his family – they were to blame for the choices he made. As he grows, he accepts that no one is responsible for him, but him. He made the choices and now he has a chance to unmake them.
Cooking becomes an all-consuming passion. He learns the ins and outs of kitchens in prison. He cooks and cleans and judges culinary heirarchy from inside. He proves to be a model inmate and is rewarded with opportunity.
It is fascinating to be on the inside with him. When he is released, he not only pursues his dream to be a chef, but he also speaks to inner city kids about his life. He tells them exactly what he has done and what happens to drug dealers and gangsters.
As he works his way inch by precious inch up the ladder to his final goal, it is rewarding to witness his transformation from self-hatred to love. He deserves every bit of his success and, “Cooked,” is a remarkable account of this remarkable man’s journey.