Jermond Booze, professionally known as Chef Booze or simply Booze, was born and raised in Arkansas and has turned Detroit into home. His southern roots are foundational to who he is and to the way he views food as a conduit for larger conversations.

Through hosting music-themed dinners, mentoring kids, and winning “Chopped,” Booze has become instrumental in Detroit’s food scene.

Like his mother and many family members, Booze graduated from the historic Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. The school is known for the Little Rock Nine, the brave Black students who integrated the school in 1957. He says he did not fully understand the significance of that history, or the role his family played in the civil rights movement in Arkansas, until he was an adult.