The UP Experience Blog

Time to come clean. Did anyone guess Chef Jeff Henderson would be our fourth announced speaker for The UP Experience 2011? We hope you’re excited as we are to hear the incredible story of this speaker, we believe he has important lessons about life, change and human potential to share.

Henderson grew up on the tough streets of Central LA and San Diego. By the time he was 19, he was running a $35,000-a-week drug operation. At 24, he spent 10 years behind bars. It was while incarcerated that he discovered a passion for cooking and committed himself to turning his life around. His story has been captured in his New York Times best-selling memoir, Cooked.

Chef Jeff is an award-winning chef, best-selling author, and popular public speaker. He has received widespread national attention on TV, radio, and in print publications, including: The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The Montel Williams Show, CNBC, NPR’s All Things Considered, People, and USA Today.

In 2001, Jeff made history in Las Vegas when he became the first African-American named “Chef de Cuisine” at Caesar’s Palace. He eventually became an executive chef at several top restaurants, including Café Bellagio, where he worked until 2006.

Register now to join us and Chef Jeff on October 27th!