Chef Robert Hesse tells the story of his troubled past to E-Nini-Hasse campers

Before Robert Hesse became a chef, restaurateur and fan favorite on the wildly popular food challenge TV show “Hell’s Kitchen,” he was a troubled kid in St. Petersburg. Addicted to drugs, in and out of boys youth homes and frequently in court and behind bars, at 15 he was sent to Eckerd Academy in Brooksville to straighten his life out.

From the streets to the kitchen

As part of the program, once a week the boys were responsible for all the cooking for the day, which teaches them math and writing skills, responsibility and planning.

Hesse now tells people:

“Cooking changed my life”

A camp counselor had handed him a potato and a peeler and asked, “Do you know what to do with that?”

He had watched his grandmother and mother cook, but now it was his turn, and by the end of his time at Eckerd Academy, Hesse knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

 

One 16-year-old camper said:

“He said a lot of the same things we hear here, but it’s different coming from someone who’s been a camper — it means more, he talked about a lot of difficult things that I personally connected with — I’ve been in that spot; I’ve hit that bottom … it’s helpful to hear from someone else who’s been so low and was able to come so high again.”

She said Hesse’s story reinforced her determination to keep working toward her big-picture goal of helping girls who don’t have access to education to get an education.

Full article here: From the streets to the kitchen, Chef Robert Hesse tells his story of his way out of his troubled past thanks to Eckerd youth camp | Local News | chronicleonline.com

Written by: Nancy Kennedy

Photos by: Matthew Beck

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The owner of this website has made a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.