Born to parents who were caterers and restaurateurs, Jernard Wells could not deny his culinary roots.
The graduate of Memphis Culinary Academy and the Arts Institute of Atlanta has owned several restaurants, cooked for a of celebrities and self-published a cookbook, “88 Ways to Her Heart.”
Nevertheless, being named Chef of the Year at the recent Patrick Clark Honors/ACE Awards sponsored by Cuisine Noir Magazine in Sacramento, Calif., came as a surprise, he said.
“I asked them how was I nominated, and they informed me that there was a panel of judges who had been monitoring my track record, my accomplishments and all of the things that I’ve been doing locally and internationally,” Wells said.
“I felt like the underdog against the other nominees. There were well-known chefs from across the country.”