General Session: Opening

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5:15 PM - 7:00 PM

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California native and celebrity chef Jeff Henderson discovered his calling in the most unlikely place-prison. It was where he was introduced to culinary arts and developed his passion for cooking. His prison job as a dishwasher got him into the kitchen where he dreamed of one day becoming a chef. After his release, he worked in some of the toughest kitchens in American and eventually became the first African-American Chef at Caesars Palace and the Bellagio. After leaving Bellagio, Jeff went on to pursue a career in television. He became the star of the Food Network's first docu-reality series The Chef Jeff Project. He was also the star of the television series Beat the Chefs, Family Style with Chef Jeff, and Flip My Food. His memoir Cooked became a New York Times best-seller, and Sony Pictures optioned the rights to his story for a feature film. From incarcerated to renowned chef, Jeff's inspiring story of life transformation was featured on Oprah's Life Class, Good Morning America, Today Show, ABC World News Tonight, CNN, and in major publications such as The New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, People Magazine, the Washington Post, and many others. When Jeff is not traveling the world teaching his life-changing lessons, he resides in Las Vegas with his wife Stacy and their five children.