We know who we are, but we get away from it.
Kendrick Harris is an NYU alumnus, retired Air Force officer, and former business leader with experience in real estate law, construction, and a former lawyer. He is a business owner of the Distinguished Chef and a top-notch chef.
Kendrick is sharing with us his powerful testament to resilience, self-discovery, and transformation. After time spent at NYU, where Kendrick was deeply involved in student leadership and community service with Ron, he took an unexpected path, joining the Air Force as an officer. His military experience, earning a master's degree at Harvard, brought him to leadership positions. Still, his life took a dramatic turn when a series of poor decisions led to his disbarment and criminal charges. He realized that the only path was forward by confronting his mistakes and rebuilding his life from the ground up by pursuing his long-forgotten passion—cooking.
His story of redemption, perseverance, letting go, and centering shows us that one's mistakes do not define them. During his difficult times, Kendrick found motivation in the stories of others who had faced and overcome their own challenges and hardships while becoming the best versions of themselves. His passion for bringing equity to culinary arts, learning the history of amazing Black chefs of America, and bringing the elegance of the cooking experience to everyone is just amazing.
The recipe for finding the way out of the darkness or despair is waiting for you in this amazing episode.
Notes
🍎 NYU Alumni and CPS: helping kids, students, and serving the community.
02:17✈️ Starting active duty with the Air Force: Kendrick was sent to Harvard to get a master's degree even though he planned to go to law school.
05:15😇 We hold onto things we think we want: moments where you need to go in yourself and let go.
11:07⚖️ After the military, he went to law school: rebuilding life after getting disbarred.
12:53⚡ Getting back to himself through serving others: his love of culinary arts.
16:41⭐ Clashing with your parents but pursuing their respect: working in Michelin-starred restaurants and being the only Black man in it.
21:29☯️ Virtual coaches that affected Kendrick’s change: inspiring stories from people who went through a lot.
25:33👨🏾🍳 Kendrick created The Distinguished Chef Lifestyle Brand: Hercules Posey and James Hemings were amazing Black chefs in the 1700s.
32:50☯️ His mission is to capture the elegance of the cooking experience: wanting amazing food to be tasted by minorities as well.
39:54💎 Kendrick’s RONdering: your identity is not defined by your mistakes or your flaws.
42:53Links:
Episode 50
