Former Chattanooga chef Jernard Wells co-hosts new show on Cleo TV

At first glance, a cooking show combining Southern classics and vegan dishes would seem to be an odd pairing - like a plate of ham hocks topped with tofu. But former Chattanooga chef Jernard Wells insists his new series on Cleo TV, "New Soul Kitchen," offers the best of both culinary worlds.

"I am a Southern chef by trade," says the 39-year-old Atlanta resident and Mississippi native. "What I've been working on my whole career is reinventing soul food to what I call 'Southern modified.' I'm showing people how you can take the food we so love to eat and re-create it on a health-conscious, lighter side."

Chef Jernard Wells

His co-host, Porsche Thomas, also specializes in soul food - "soulful food," she calls hers - and it's strictly vegan. Despite what you think you know about vegan food, her website advises nonpractitioners, it doesn't have to deprive you of the joy of eating.

She is a fairly recent convert to veganism, a diet that excludes not just meat, fish and poultry but all animal products, even dairy and eggs. After serving as personal chef to record executive Russell Simmons, also a vegan, she ultimately adapted her own diet to veganism in late 2016.

Despite their dietary differences, Wells says his and Thomas' personalities meshed when they first talked in a conference call with TV execs. He says he was excited about the prospect of having a co-host to bounce ideas off of.

"We envisioned a New Age cooking show designed for millennials, a new way to bring original inspired dishes to the world," he says.

Thomas says she was just as eager to try this "first of its kind" programming. Offering multiple viewpoints creates "an atmosphere that resembles most households today that have many dietary choices under one roof," she explains.

The first episode focuses on brunch. Wells prepares pan-seared filet mignon topped with bourbon-butter shrimp. Thomas answers with a loaded vegan breakfast burrito, with turmeric-seasoned tofu subbing for scrambled eggs.

In the next episode, "Sunday Supper," she prepares a lentil loaf with gravy (an alternative to meatloaf), while he serves up fried chicken brined in sweet tea and paired with collard and turnip greens.

The two take turns at the stove, explaining to viewers and each other how each dish comes together. Each dish looks amazing, but even more amazing is that the whole process, start to finish, takes place in a whirlwind 10 minutes or so. The chefs offer broad strokes, not exact measurements, and all their prep work is done before the camera rolls, so they can quickly walk through each step of the preparation without losing momentum. Viewers can find the recipes at www.MyCleo.tv.

"When the show comes on, we introduce who we are, then go immediately into the dish we're going to be cooking for the day," Wells says. "We're describing what we're cooking, the grade of meat, the vegetables and particular herbs we use. We go straight through with no commercial interruptions whatsoever."

According to TV One, which owns the network, Cleo TV is envisioned as a lifestyle network targeting women of color in the Generation X and millennial age ranges, a demographic combined, roughly, of those born between 1965 and 2002. Especially for millennials, the younger of the two groups, much of life is experienced via digital device. With viewing habits often shaped by quick hits on a handheld screen, millennials are more likely to watch a short video on social media than a long-form program on TV.

"It's created with that in mind," Wells says of the show. "It's shot in the same format as if you were watching a cooking video on your cellphone or tablet. You get everything you need out of it and, boom, it's done."

Wells, known as "The Chef of Love," is no stranger to long-form, prime-time programming. He was runner-up on Season 12 of "Food Network Star," two-time winner on "Cutthroat Kitchen," judge on "Chopped Junior" and contestant on "Food Network Star: Comeback Kitchen." He's a co-host, with such luminaries as Martha Stewart and Alton Brown, for "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Cooking Channel.

He's lucky, he says, that he has the freedom to cross-brand. "Most of the time when people are signed to a network, you can only do stuff on that network. I have shows on Food Network, the Cooking Channel and on Cleo. My next goal is a sitcom or movie, put something new on there."

Before relocating to Atlanta, he lived in Chattanooga from about 2007 to 2017 and was one of three founders of Chattanooga Wing Co. on McCallie Avenue. He's not involved in any Atlanta-area restaurants but does still own a catering company, the Chef Jernard Experience, which caters mainly to high-profile clients.

"Honestly, my schedule is so crazy. I'm juggling two networks [currently] and two shows, and I still look for time for nurturing my family [he and wife Keena Wells have nine children]."

In addition to taping the TV series, he has the occasional one-off television appearance and is heading to Los Angeles this week for the NAACP Image Awards. That's followed by a seven-day celebrity cruise with Tom Joyner in which Wells provides cooking demonstrations for passengers.

Jernard Wells, known as "The Chef of Love," serves this recipe for barbecue shrimp and andouille sausage in grits flavored with Gouda cheese.

Over the years, he has worked with Tyler Perry, Paula Deen, Steve Harvey, Lady Antebellum, Star Jones and Reuben Studdard, to name a few. He serves as host of the nontelevised cooking competition "Culinary Fight Club."

He has written four books, including the cookbook "88 Ways to Her Heart: Cooking for Lovers From the Kitchen to the Bedroom." His latest cookbook is "Southern Modified," a collaboration with Louisiana-born actress Denise Boutté.

Airing in 15-minute segments at 12:30 p.m. Saturdays (with encores at 10:30 p.m.), "New Soul Kitchen" has filmed a full season of 12 episodes. It's one of two new cooking series for the network, along with "Just Eats With Chef JJ," starring Harlem chef JJ Johnson. Other programming centers on travel, home design, relationships, finances, talk shows, movies, docu-series and sitcoms.

Initially, Cleo TV is available exclusively on Comcast Xfinity, though additional affiliate distribution agreements will be announced in coming months.

Wells says he's hopeful for a second season of the show. "I'm just hoping and praying it continues to be well-received by all our viewers and fans and patrons."

Here he shares a favorite recipe for barbecue shrimp and grits with andouille sausage.

Chef of Love's BBQ Shrimp & Grits With Andouille Sausage

2 cups Quaker 5-minute grits

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup water

1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons salted butter

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup fresh spinach

1 diced tomato

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup sweet yellow onions, diced

1 andouille sausage

1/2 pound jumbo shrimp

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon minced onion

1/4 cup favorite barbecue sauce or Chef Jernard's signature sauce (available at www.chefjernard.com)

Finely diced green onions for garnish

For grits: Cook grits according to package directions in chicken stock and water. After grits soften and come to a boil/bubble, stir in shredded gouda, salt and pepper. Keep simmering over a low heat.

For barbecue shrimp: Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté spinach, tomato, bell peppers, onions, andouille sausage and shrimp. Add granulated garlic and minced onion. Pour in barbecue sauce. Sauté until shrimp is done, and season to taste. Spread grits on a platter, and pour shrimp mixture on top. Garnish with green onions.

Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.