“Food Changed My Life”: The Chef Jeff Project and the Politics of Rehabilitative Cooking

Abstract

As one of the most popular entertainment genres in the US, food media continues to attract significant attention from communication and cultural critics. In an effort to complicate conversations regarding the relationship among food media, identity construction, and power, this paper examines Food Network's reality-based series, The Chef Jeff Project (TCJP). TCJP is a seemingly “groundbreaking” series featuring ex-con turned chef Jeff Henderson who attempts to change the lives of “at risk” youth through the power of food. We argue that, despite its altruistic appearance, TCJP appropriates normative politics surrounding kitchen culture, “good taste,” and food service in ways that reinforce participants’ Otherness, the privileged normalcy of their clientele, and the viewing audience. We argue that TCJP represents the evolving subgenre “rehabilitative cooking,” a form of makeover media that aims to normalize so-called “at-risk” subjects through highly supervised unpaid (or underpaid) culinary labor under the guise of philanthropy.

Keywords:

• Rehabilitative cooking
• Food media
• Reality television
• Culinary tourism
• Otherness

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the editors, the anonymous reviewers, Ms. Leslie Thornton and Mr. Paul Novak for their help in developing this essay. The authors are listed alphabetically on this manuscript as both view each other as equal co-authors. Prior versions of this manuscript were rejected from presentation at NCA, ICA, and CSCA but was accepted for presentation at the 2012 NCA Conference in Orlando, FL.

Notes

1. In his memoirs, Henderson explains that he received a reduced sentence in exchange for his cooperation with authorities on another case.

2. Orbe (2008) explains, “reality television” is an umbrella term that encompasses an array of programming formats, including shows featuring extreme competitions (e.g., Survivor and Fear factor) and professional contests (e.g., American idol and The Apprentice), crime drama and court tv (e.g., COPS and The People's Court), social experimentation (e.g., The real world and The bachelor), and personal transformation series (e.g., The biggest loser, and Extreme makeover: Home edition).

3. Because the redemptive narrative is based on growth throughout the series, we examine all six episodes as well as the promotional trailer, which introduces the participants to the audience.

4. This slogan is often used to describe Food Network (McAvoy, 1999; Sweeney, 2004).

5. In a special report “What women watch,” Waldman notes that during daytime hours, Food Network viewership is 70% women and 30% men. The network's “core fan” is likely an “upscale, well educated” 40-ish woman in a household earning $75,000 or more” (Waldman, 2008, p. 26). During prime-time, viewership shifts slightly, consisting of 60% women and 40% men.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shannon L. Holland

Dr. Shannon L. Holland (Ph.D., University of Georgia) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Clemson University

David R. Novak

Dr. David R. Novak (Ph.D., Ohio University) is an assistant professor in the Department of Media and Communication at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands