At the time, Henderson thought his life was over. And in a way, he was right. He began a journey of education and introspection while incarcerated in federal prison that led to a remarkable transformation.

He met inmates who exposed him to books about Black history and culture. He started to realize the destructive effect selling drugs had on his community and how his bad choices landed him in prison. Hanging with fellow inmates who had been businessmen and stockbrokers, Henderson started reading the newspaper, realized he had intelligence, drive and people skills to make him successful in a legitimate field.

Assigned to kitchen duty, he found he enjoyed making food that others liked. He started learning how to make rolls from scratch, lasagna and perfect fried chicken according to another inmate’s secret recipe. He also counseled teens who were wanna-be gangsters to choose a better path.

While in prison, Henderson read about a famous Black chef named Robert Gadsby who had a restaurant in L.A. Henderson decided he wanted to work there when he was released. Gadsby wasn’t interested in a big ex-con with an earring. But Henderson persisted, and the chef gave him a shot, teaching him the principles of fine cuisine and personal development.

Working with Gadsby as his mentor, he cooked for celebrities such as Laurence Fishburne, Madonna and Stevie Wonder. Henderson went on to work at the five-star Hotel Bel-Air and the L’Ermitage, learning from French chefs along the way.

Las Vegas was a tough market to crack though, until an executive at Caesars Palace gave him a break. Henderson became the first African-American Chef de Cuisine at Caesars. Next he set his sights on what he calls the crème de la crème of Las Vegas resorts: Bellagio.