By: Brianna Smith-Herman
After a long day at work or just needing an evening or weekend to wind down, my go to is… Hen House Memphis. The service, ambiance and drinks are top notch! Whether going with friends or out on a romantic evening, you can guarantee a fun time, excellent service, great libations and delicious food. More recently, 25 year old, Chef JeraVonte became the head chef at the Hen House. He is a 2016 graduate of LeCole Culinaire Memphis. He obtained his first “real” kitchen job at Flemings SteakHouse as a line cook after graduating and now 6 years late, he is the latest Head Chef at Hen House Wine Bar. In honor of Black History Month, we sat down with Chef JeraVonte to bring you five questions with the culinary artists.
How did you discover you had a passion and talent for cooking?
Cooking was never my first love. I always wanted to become an author and maybe a movie director but I put that dream to the side when I was maybe 10 years old. I watched my great-grandmother, who is still with us, put smiles on everyone’s face in our neighborhood with her cooking. If there was a question on who was my inspiration and who is the best chef ever I would hands down say her. Learning how to bake and cook from her ignited my passion and my love for cooking. She helped me see that regardless of your background, food can always bring people together.
What is your favorite part about being The Head Chef at Hen House?
My favorite part about being the head chef is that it has helped me regain my passion for cooking. Over the past years, I’ve been struggling to find a “home” in this business and then during quarantine that kind of knocked the passion from me. The everyday question of ‘Why did I choose culinary’ came across my mind. Ever since I walked through the Hen House doors and put in a year of hard work, I was given the opportunity to lead the kitchen for the first time and this has shown me that instead of thinking “Why did I choose culinary,” I should appreciate the fact the culinary chose me!
What is your favorite dish to make?
My favorite dishes to explore and recreate are African Cuisines and ingredients with a touch of southern flair to it. One of the first dishes I was able to put on the menu at Hen House, when I became Sou Chef, was a Chermoula Red snapper with Louisiana style lentils.
For someone who may be unfamiliar with Hen House. Why do you think people should visit?
There are many reasons I feel people should visit. Not only because we offer some of the best wines and cocktails in Memphis which are led by the great Tony Nguyen, and not just because we offer some amazing food provided by myself and the outstanding team I have. I think people should come because once you walk through that door you become our family. We make sure that when you are here we give you the best experience any place has to offer with our exotic and exclusive ambiance and outstanding service. We make it our goal to just give everyone that awesome Los Angeles-ish vibe, you can come in and have a great time with your family and friends and leave knowing that there is no place like this in Memphis!
How does being a Memphian influence your food dishes (cuisine)?
When someone thinks of Memphis from a culinary standpoint they think of our delicious BBQ but that is something I would like to change. Though that isn’t a bad thing at all because yes we know how to make some damn good BBQ, nevertheless, we also have some of the best overall foods and chefs America has to offer. I have been honored to learn and be taught by some of the best around here in my years in school and still to this day continue to grow and pick the brains of our local chefs so that I can become the best Chef I can be.
With everything being said, one of Chef JeraVonte’s newest reasons for doing what he does is for his soon-to-be son Jesse Twillie, due February 10th. “Knowing that he is about to be here is what is driving me to push even harder and show him that it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from, you can make a name for yourself and you can become whatever you put your heart and soul into,” Chef JeraVonte. Not only do I wanna become a great chef for the city of Memphis, I also want to become a great father and make him proud.
You can check out Chef JeraVonte’s delicious cuisine Monday through Saturday at Hen House Wine Bar (@henhousememphis). You can also keep up with his delicious dishes and fun personality by following him on Instagram at @chef_jervonte.
You may also be interested in: Beale St. Brewing Co. Aims to Make Beer for Everybody
