Microphone Check Mac & Cheese, Money Hungry Collard Greens, Ballin’ Barbecue Roast Turkey!
If your taste buds are doin’ the Dougie it’s because you’ve just peeped the menu of the Hip-Hop Chef Cookin’ Tye, the first and only certified and trademarked Hip-Hop Chef in the world.
EXCLUSIVE: Def Jam Celebrates 25th Anniversary With Dinner & Spotted Pig!
Several years ago while looking for a way to break into the hip-hop industry without being a rapper and/or a DJ, (even though he did deejay parties when he was a teenager) the Hip-Hop Chefm, nee Tyrone, turned to then-Def Jam President Kevin Liles for a break. He found one when Liles hired him to cater an event for Def Jam!
“I came through the back door,” explained Cookin’ Tye last week in GlobalGrind’s conference room 43 stories above Fashion Avenue.
The chef, who now commands a cadre of cooks around the country, was dressed casually in black jeans, black adidas shell toes, a black Yankee snapback, a black and white striped tie and tons of colorful exuberance.
His swag was cranked up to 20 on a 10 level dial as he walked us through his signature dishes which includes tons of staples like vegetables, vegan dishes and seafood. He also has an interest in preparing healthy dishes for his many clients who include some legendary hip-hop figures.
“I cooked for Def Jam and that put me in the position to start branding myself. Nobody saw me coming,” Def Jam’s former exclusive caterer told us, explaining his humble origins while flashing his letters of credentials, written testimony from Carmelo Anthony, Liles and Russell Simmons.
Above photograph by Daimon Glen
[pagebreak]
Cookin’ Tye’s papers were within arms reach and lay on top of photocopied magazine articles from XXL and Hip-Hop Weekly, profiles which extolled his culinary virtues and connections.
The Hip-Hop Chef is so official, he’s trademarked his name. In fact, no other chef is allowed to use the mark of The Hip- Hop Chef under the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office.
“My thing is, if you haven’t cooked for pioneers like Afrika Bambaataa, Russell Simmons, Grandmaster Flash, Doug E Fresh, how you gonna say you’re the hip-hop chef?”
Cookin’ Tye’s question isn’t rhetorical, it has basis in reality.
Seems a few people have been calling themselves the Hip-Hop Chef; some even challenged him to a cook off. Because he had the papers and experience – honing his skills in the Navy, a completed a Chef Apprentice program at the Double Tree Hotel, and his letters of endorsements – they had to be put in check.
“You need certain things in order to make yourself official,” Cookin’ Tye said. “You gotta have that track record! I started with Kevin Liles. I’ve cooked for the BET Hip-Hop Awards, I’ve been In XXL, Hip-Hop Weekly, I’ve got my own dishes -Tilapia Turntable, FreeStyle Fried Chicken – the whole thing with this brand is I’m mixing the culinary arts with hip-hop culture. You have Chef Boyardee, you have Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay and I’m the guy that’s holding it down for hip-hop! My scoreboard is phenomenal!”
[pagebreak]
Tye’s interest in cooking was founded early thanks to the time he spent with his grandmother who wanted to keep her grandson out of danger. We discovered this after discussing Baltimore crab cakes.
“To keep me from getting into neighborhood trouble, I had to do after school chores like peeling potatoes, making fried chicken, basically all kitchen chores. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be cooking. That was my first encounter with food, my grandmother,” Cookin’ Tye said.
There isn’t a corner of the globe which isn’t touched by hip-hop and now it’s the culinary arts turn to get a piece of the hip-hop pie.
“[10 years ago] when I started this brand, cooking wasn’t hot like that. Cooking is crazy now!”
For more info on the Hip-Hop Chef and his signature dishes or to book him and his crew, check out his website.
