Happy Birthday, Chef Ashbell, with many more grand and glorious decades ahead. Like the Prophet Moses, you are among the chosen to continue to do ever greater works, for which I give thanks and praise.
When I was at the lowest point in my life, after you scanned me, your smile lifted me and the meal that followed confirmed life is worth living, no matter what. If I don't like something, I change the menu next time I shop.
Please know that the ripples of your kindness and brilliance flow far beyond the screen, the table, and the timeline. JOY!!!✨ Even When No One Sees It…Ashbell Does Good / Great Anyway!!!
The balance of this post is put together with the help of ChatGPT, Google's AI. Chef Ashbell is an important element in our fight to deliver ourselves from evil and stupid.
🥂 Honoring Chef Ashbell on His Birthday
Today is the birthday of my dear friend, beyond genetics, my brother Chef Ashbell, a culinary revolutionary, international legend, and digital soul who’s connected kitchens and communities across time and continents. Since the last century as a chef on The Today Show, he’s been celebrating food not just as nourishment—but as culture, storytelling, and resilience.
For those who don't know him, I asked ChatGPT to write a short bio on him.
At just 19, Chef Ashbell traveled to France for academic study—and stayed to train hands-on in Paris kitchens. Eager to immerse himself further in regional French cuisine, he returned after his undergraduate studies, spending his summers apprenticing, including at the famed Haynes Restaurant founded by Leroy Haynes theafricacenter.org.
In the 1990s, Chef Ashbell became a beloved fixture on WNBC’s Weekend Today Show, where he joyfully brought the vibrant, diverse culinary flavors of New York City’s immigrant and Black communities into living rooms across America—making cuisine, culture, and stories visible and delicious.
Driven by a passion for preservation and education, he founded the James Hemings Foundation (now Society) in 2014. Under his leadership, the organization studies, documents, and celebrates the profound contributions of African American cooks to America’s culinary identity.
Beyond the kitchen and scholarly efforts, Chef Ashbell is a multi-talented entrepreneur—founder of Ashbell’s Premium Meats & Seafood, an author, a documentary filmmaker (James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen), JBF‑nominated storyteller, and passionate advocate for culinary justice and memory.
Gratitude to Ashbell's ancestors too.
James Hemings (who rumor has it may be a previous incarnation of Ashbell) was an enslaved chef trained in Paris in the late 1700s, brought French cooking techniques and iconic dishes like macaroni and cheese, crème brûlée, and French fries to American tables. And yet, for most of American history, his name was erased.
Thanks to the profound dedication of Chef Ashbell, Hemings legacy is brought back to life.
During the 2024 Olympics in Thailand, “Mac and Cheese” trended in the United States with 1,443 posts. A child in Bangkok ate a version of Hemings' creation, centuries and oceans away from its origin.
Many good deeds take time to root and grow. Both men have, are building cyber bridges to unite in the styles of gratitude, grace, unity and celebration. DELICIOUS!
🎥 Featured Videos
Here are powerful videos to deepen this celebration and meditation on legacy, joy, and perseverance:
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📺 James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen (PBS)
Short documentary telling the story that history forgot. -
🇫🇷 The Untold Legacy of James Hemings – French Embassy Panel
Culinary historians and chefs reclaim Hemings' legacy. -
🎬 Chef Ashbell Archives - Tell The Today Show - Post the Chef Ashbell tapes!
❤️ Amazon Edition: Ghost in America's Kitchen
Thank You God For Chef Ashbell- JOY!
