Prison food isn't usually known for being anything special. But for Jeff Henderson, it was a lifesaver. Henderson was born in South Central Los Angeles, and despite the best efforts of his mother, his paternal grandparents and, later, his father, he got caught up in the crime and violence around him. In 1987, Henderson went to prison for drug trafficking and spent nearly ten years there.

He was sent to work in the prison kitchen as punishment, but quickly developed a passion for cooking. Mentored by a fellow inmate, Henderson worked his way up the ranks in the kitchen--and he spent his off-hours learning about business. Upon his release, he talked his way into a dishwashing job in the new restaurant of Robert Gadsby, a prominent African American chef. It was just the beginning of a brilliant career.

Henderson worked in several prominent California restaurant and hotel kitchens, then moved to Las Vegas, where he served as Executive Chef at Café Bellagio and eventually became the first African American Chef de Cuisine for the restaurants at Caesar's Palace.

He has gone on to become a bestselling author, of cookbooks and of his autobiography, Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras, as well as star of The Chef Jeff Project on the Food Network. But perhaps one of his most rewarding roles is as a public speaker. He speaks at schools, prisons, and organizations, reaching out to students, at-risk young adults, and felons with a message of possibilities and, in his words, striving "to be an example that change is achievable."

As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, the Character Approved Henderson is proof that positive change is indeed achievable.

[Images: Polina Yamshchikov/Missourian, MG Studio]