N’DIGO Foundation’s Great Gala Chefs of Chicago

With a mission to provide merit-based scholarships to Chicago’s top achievers, The N’DIGO Foundation Gala is known for celebrating the best of the best, and this year, the 12th Annual N’DIGO Foundation Gala adds a new dimension of excellence by showcasing the culinary creations of four of Chicago’s top African American chefs.

Chicago’s Great Gala Chefs will display their signature dishes prior to the N’Digo Foundation Gala awards ceremony to be held on Saturday, June 23, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

“We have highly trained and accomplished African American chefs who are virtually ignored,” says Hermene Hartman, president of the N’DIGO Foundation. “For them, cuisine is an art form and the gala is a great event for these talented chefs to showcase their splendor in one gathering.”

Meet our Culinary Artisans

Cliff Rome of Rome’s Joy Catering of the Parkway Ballroom

Culinary Journey:

“I received great working experience early on. I started cooking at nine years old; I was under my grandmother’s wing; that’s where the seed was planted. In high school, I worked as a dishwasher and quickly realized that I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life, so I attended Daley College and Kendall College. At the same time, I worked for Marriott, which, at that time, had the food services contract at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Chef Rome's Coconut Rum glazed Shrimp

Road to Success

Chef Rome’s culinary career spans the globe. Blazing the culinary scene in Europe and designing and managing a traveling yacht has given Rome a unique view on global cuisine.

As president of Rome’s Joy Catering at the Parkway Ballroom along with business partner Eileen Rhodes, Rome honed his skills while working at the Museum of Science and Industry, Orly’s and Midway Concessions.

Chef Rome's Petite Grilled Vegetable Lasanga

“At Midway Concessions, Tim and Everett Rand gave me the opportunity to learn the many facets of the business--the set-up, breakdown, and what is needed to work from the front of the house to the back of the house. And Elzie Higgonbottom has guided me through the business side of business.”

While attending Kendall College, Rome chose an internship, at a restaurant where he ultimately wanted to work. “I had heard so much about Wolfgang Puck, he was larger than life and I knew that I wanted to work under a man who embodied such creativity in the kitchen,” says Rome.

Spago had not yet opened, but Rome saw the opportunity to work with Puck, but he didn’t expect the resistance that came from his first day.

Chef Rome's Won ton chicken salad with Asian dressing

“When I went to apply for a job, I was met with resistance from the moment I walked in the door. But I wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. I met everyone including another brother, Francois Kwaku-Dongo, Spago’s executive chef, who came to Chicago from L.A. to open the restaurant.

“Handpicked by Puck, Francois and I became good friends and to this day, he is still one of the best mentors next to Wolfgang that I have ever had.”

Rome was one of five chefs at the Cannes International Film Festival and has worked with internationally renowned chefs Roger Verge, Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Todd English.

Reggie (Rajun’ Cajun) Carter, proprietor of Reggie Carter’s Catering

Culinary Journey:

“My journey began in New Orleans. At a very young age, I was in the kitchen with my mother Shirley Brown. She had two jobs, and so my older brother and I had to prepare dinner for our younger siblings. We watched her and learned about food from her, and we discovered our love of cooking.”

Road to Success

New Orleans native Chef Carter better known as the “Rajun Cajun” says that he sharpened his skills in several popular restaurants in the “Big Easy” including the famous Dooky Chase and the Court of Two Sisters. His big career break came while cooking for Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. senior pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ.

“I would prepare food for the pastor, and as he had more meetings and guests to come to the church, I would prepare food for those events.”

For the past 15 years, Carter honed his culinary skills and prepared his signature dishes on Sundays for Rev. Wright and his guests. He credits that opportunity for bringing out the success of his catering business. “Guests and fellow parishioners asked me to open up a catering business and that’s where things really began to really take off.”

Julius Russell, personal Chef, of Tale of Two Chefs

Culinary Journey:

At the tender age of eight, Chef Russell’s mother had instilled a passion for the culinary arts, but his zeal for cooking ignited in college.

“We didn’t have authentic fried chicken in Dekalb and the KFC was so far away from campus that unless your buddy felt like driving, or someone brought some fried chicken from home, you wouldn’t have any. I developed a recipe based on what my mother used to and then I took it to another level to make it healthier.

That’s where it all started for me from the business perspective; although I was still in college, cooking was an opportunity for me to earn more money (than the work-study program) and to affect people in a positive way. Being the preparer of food and the people that consumed it intrigued me.”

Chef Russell's Herbed Risotto, Tequila Orange Chicken and Tiki Rubbed Vegetables.

Road to Success

Chef Julius Russell, personal chef and owner of A Tale of Two Chefs also known as “Chef Tiki,” his alter ego, attended the New Orleans School of Cooking and the Creative Culinary Institute in Las Vegas. Russell studied in Paris with Chef Samira Hradsky, Princess Marie Blanche de Broglie at La Cuisine Marie Blanche, and Joel Rubuchon and Patrick Terrien at Le Cordon Bleu Academie d’Art Culinaire de Paris.

A personal chef for four years, Chef Russell’s career path took a different route. He worked in corporate America for 10 years before turning to his true passion.

“Corporate America allowed for my development and exposure to different foods, cultures and cuisines-- the key components to the total dining experience.”

Chef Russell adds, “When I have travel to major cities, I visit the cooking schools where the chefs teach–and I treat my visit like an independent study. Spending time with chefs is at the root of my training.”

Steven McAfee, Executive Chef of the Parrot Cage Restaurant

Culinary Journey

“My parents were from the South, and while the other kids were playing outside, I was in the kitchen. I was teenager when I realized how much I loved cooking.”

Road to Success

Chef McAfee began his culinary career through an Operation Push initiative, New Directions-Yellowstone Experience, headed by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Dr. William H. Samuels.

After completing his initial two years of training with New Directions in Wyoming, McAfee returned to Chicago in the early 1990s and went to work as a pantry cook at the Art Institute of Chicago. Two years later, he was promoted to banquet cook. He later became a sous chef at the Founders Hill Brewing Company, and in 1999, he became the Executive Chef at Porter’s Steakhouse. Four years later, after a great deal of hard work and field experience, McAfee opened his own restaurant, Bistro 90, where he enjoyed his dual roles as executive chef and restaurant manager.

Two years later, another opportunity presented itself, and McAfee became the executive chef and restaurant manager at a new Porter’s Steakhouse, located in Hotel 71 in downtown Chicago. The hotel was sold a year later and McAfee took the opportunity to take a new direction in his culinary career. He began his own catering service, O Taste and See.

Currently, Chef McAfee is the executive chef at the Parrot Cage restaurant, an affiliate of the Washburne Culinary Institute, which is a part of Kennedy King College, a member of the City Colleges of Chicago.

“I worked under some great chefs in the industry. I had no formal training, but these great chefs knew how to bring out that passion in me, and they guided me further in my career. They took me under their wings from 1986 until now. Now, I am under Mr. Bill Reynolds, Provost of Washburne Culinary Institute. He is an amazing man who knows every nuance about food – he pushes you to be the best.”

Culinary Artisans take Centerstage

Showcasing their tasty talents at the N’Digo Foundation Gala will open a lot of eyes explains Chef Cliff Rome.

“Highlighting African American chefs is a great idea. People forget that there are personalities behind the people that cook. This event gives us the opportunity to show that African American chefs have come a long way. We aren’t the chefs that may get the accolades; but we are definitely the guys who put in the hours and the time. For a certain amount of years we have not received the recognition; [it’s time] that we acknowledge that there is talent in our own community. The N’Digo Gala is a perfect platform for that.”

Coordinating the “Great Gala Chefs” is Calihan Catering, under the direction of Executive Chef David Danielson. With over 20 years under his toque (chef’s hat), his culinary resume is impressive. Chef Danielson was the Executive Chef at the United Nations and Rockefeller Center in New York and has worked with internationally renowned restaurants and chefs including Charlie Trotter and David Boule’s restaurant in New York.

“Calihan Catering pride ourselves on excellence. “This is a great opportunity to bring some of Chicago’s talented and dedicated chefs together, this is an unbelievable experience,” says Chef David Danielson. “This is a diverse and dynamic group of chefs. All of them have unique experiences, flavors and they have created a global cuisine that is not only innovative, but will also set a new standard. We will exceed your expectations.”