Henderson’s Change

Introduction

Jeff Henderson was brought up in the central region of Los Angeles in a humble background by his single-mother and his paternal grandparents. He used to steal anything from anyone who would let his or her guard down. He spent most of his teenage years selling hard drugs (cocaine) on the streets of California, and this made his to be convicted and jailed for almost a decade. It is through this imprisonment that marked his transformation period from a criminal state to a chief chef (Henderson pp. 91-155). His changed life made him become one of the most inspiring people to most people especially those in jail undergoing their transformation periods.

His life before prison, Henderson justified himself that he was just doing business like any other business man who aims at making money, but not killing people. He, therefore, maintained that dealing the hard drugs was not an illegal business until when he was justly sent to jail. He was stubborn that he did nothing wrong before he realized he had already ruined plenty of people’s lives when he was selling drug. The dirty money blinded his eyes to distinguish justice from criminal activity hence selling drug was a stupid thing and could only hurt people (Henderson pp. 91-155).

However, his life after prison at first turned tougher than the life he encountered in prison. In prison, he had admitted his mistakes and was fully transformed by the end of his serving term. He got saved and discovered his new means on how to apply himself in life rather than dealing drugs. He developed passion in cooking which made him realize his future dream and set his path for redemption. Ironically, the outside world could neither accept him as a changed individual nor believe him by giving him an opportunity to prove himself. He had a criminal record which made most organizations turndown his job request. Moreover, he had no formal education that would convince the employers that that he has what it takes in the jobs that he was requesting. Additionally, he had no real cooking experience and the little he could present (that he used to wash dishes and cook for other inmates) did more harm than good since everyone took him as a convicted felon. He tarmac for long before securing a job of cooking and washing out dishes at white-table restaurant at Marriott Coronado where he strived to reach the pinnacle of executive chef (Henderson pp. 91-155).

Moreover, in prison, he was experiencing encouragements from his fellow inmates, his son`s uncle Larry, his sister Charlean and her daughter (with rose), his son Jamar, and his future wife Stacy (Henderson pp. 91-155). After prison, he could only receive support from his family and relative but the outside world negated any move that he could employ such as requesting for a cooking job.

Conclusion

It is, therefore, evident that the virtue of an individual to admit one`s mistakes, strive to transform, and staying focused not to go back in committing those mistakes again can lead someone to greater heights. Moreover, no matter what an individual is or where he or she has come from, he, or she has the potential to change and make an impact in their life if only he or she is passionate in whatever he undertakes. Jeff Henderson admitted his mistakes, redemption and persistence which made him transform from a criminal state to an executive chef.

Work cited

Henderson, Jeff. Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras. New York: William Morrow, 2007. Print.