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Growing up in Chicago and later the Deep South gave a Georgia chef the one ingredient he would take with him on his climb to culinary success. His appreciation of it travels with him across America and beyond in the new food show and lifestyle series “Savor the City” on TV One.
“When we moved to Mississippi, it was dirt roads, cotton fields and corn fields. But the one important thing we had was family, friends and unity in our community,” says Jernard Wells, chef and award-winning cooking show host.
His passion for connecting people through excellent cooking and delicious food is a talent Chef Wells developed while living in a Black community. Sharing that story through his world travels excites him.
“That’s what ‘Savor the City’ is. It’s telling the story of who we are, our resilience and how, ultimately, we love to enjoy each other, eat good and listen to great music, all at the same time.”
Getting Out of the Kitchen for a New Food Show
Chef Jernard’s popularity soared after his first TV cooking show, “New Soul Kitchen,” premiered on CLEO TV in March 2019. A discussion with TV One executives and PowerHouse Productions gave Wells the chance to expand his broadcast career with Urban One, the parent company of the Black-owned cable networks.
“Let’s break out of the kitchen. Let’s travel around the world. Let’s highlight some amazing chefs and businesses,” says the celebrity chef. “People are doing phenomenal things in the food spectrum, in entertainment, music and art, all those places where we shine so brightly.”
The best-selling author and respected restaurateur will fulfill another his dream of having a travel food show with the April 3rd launch of “Savor the City” on TV One. The show, which will air on Thursdays at 8P/7C, introduces viewers to the Black excellence thriving in American cities and other countries through our cuisine, history, art and music.
“This is my way of showing my flowers to the world, giving people the opportunity to have a light shine on them that otherwise wouldn’t,” suggests the host.
The new food and lifestyle series takes Chef Jernard to New Orleans, Miami, Brooklyn, Napa Valley, and other trendy destinations. He will make stops outside the U.S. in Mexico and the Caribbean.
His conversations with chefs, mom-and-pop business owners, historians and artists highlight the achievements of Black people. “I’m just playing my part in giving the world some inspiration and knowledge through my lens. Let’s overshadow all the negative stuff we hear and overshadow it with the blessings, the gifts and all the accomplishments we have,” he emphasizes.
Whether he visits a standout Black-owned restaurant, winery, or shop during his travels or shares a Black history lesson or cultural experience, Chef Jernard delivers an uplifting story. “All of these things are designed to tell a story. Every time we go to one place, we’re like, ‘This is the best one by far.’ Then we land somewhere else, and we’re like, ‘No, this is the best one by far.’”
Making Storytelling the Cornerstone of Savor the City
Chef Jernard has always used his warm voice and exuberant personality to tell stories through his love of cooking. “Savor the City” lets the James Beard House honoree promote Black pride and resilience through his guests.
“My goal is to allow the individuals I sit down with to tell their stories in their own way. Too often, we hear the story, but the story is always second-hand, third-hand and fourth-hand. By that time, it’s been filtered, stepped on and chopped up,” says the chef.
The new food show host describes the insightful questions he asks to get to the heart of each guest’s story. “I allow them to share whatever it is they want. But I always ask questions about what it feels like for them to be in the situation, what they feel they owe to their community, what they give back to their community, and what inspired them to do what they are doing.”
“Savor the City” will introduce TV One viewers to exciting food and culinary stories and to the importance of some Black historical and cultural experiences. On a trip to Brooklyn, Chef Jernard shares the history and fun of the West Indian Day Parade held in September at the end of New York Caribbean Carnival Week.
A stop on Martha’s Vineyard lets Chef Jernard explore the legendary Inkwell and the African American community resort’s traditions, including a dip in the ocean with the Inkwell Polar Bears. “Our stories are being told in our voices, and that’s what it is about! Wait until you see me walk into the ocean on Martha’s Vineyard,” says the Savor the City host.
On the West Coast, Chef Jernard explores the accomplishments of successful Black-owned Napa Valley wineries such as the Brown Estate, which was established in the early 1980s. On the East Coast, he travels to Miami Beach for Art Basel, a premier international art fair. “We highlighted some of the best African American artists achieving on a high level. When you hear Art Basel, most of us do not go and don’t realize there is success and resilience in Black art,” he adds.
One of the future episodes of “Savor the City” lands Chef Jernard in the Bahamas. One of his favorite experiences while there was visiting the famous Goldie’s Conch House in Nassau. “It sits on the water where they take the nets and scoop the live conch from out of the ocean still in the shell. I’m watching them break the conch open and their process of creating conch salad and fritters,” he explains.
Savor the City’s host calls the conch dishes at Goldie’s phenomenal and worth tasting there or at home. “I take it in, learn, study and taste the food, and then I bring it back to my people around the world. You might not be able to go to the Bahamas, but guess what? I will teach you something about cooking that food so you can have a snippet of it in your home. The next time you get to go on vacation, that just might be your stop.”
Redefining Soul Food on Savor the City
No matter where Chef Jernard goes on “Savor the City,” the TV One and CLEO TV host expands the audience’s knowledge of Black culinary and cultural excellence along with his own. He gains inspiration for creating new meals that build on his reputation for cooking soul-satisfying dishes with Southern and global flavors.
“Please note while I’m traveling around the world and experiencing all this great cuisine, it’s continuing to educate me. It’s continuing to hone my palate,” the chef states. “When you see me on “New Soul Kitchen,” you’re like, ‘Chef Jernard is throwing down different than he did last season!’ It’s because as I travel, I am learning.”
One lesson the Mississippi native never tires of teaching is soul food’s true meaning and history. Some who have previewed the show compare “Savor the City” to the acclaimed Netflix docuseries “High on the Hog.” That is high praise for a chef who continually seeks to educate others on the contributions of Black cooks and chefs to America’s culinary landscape.
“We’ve been around a long time fighting this fight to bring to the world the greatness of our people. When you look at us and wonder what cooking style we do, we create American cuisine. Before us, what was the cuisine here?” insists Chef Jernard. “Everyone in America was eating from our hands. That means we changed the trajectory of the food culture and experience here. It wasn’t until money got involved and they saw how successful you could be in the food industry that they started trying to strip that away from our culture.”
Like “High on the Hog,” Chef Jernard’s new travel and food show explores the true definition of soul food as American cuisine. “What we create is American cuisine because our African ancestors came over here as slaves. They didn’t have cookbooks, recipes, menus or any of that to follow. What they had was locked into their minds from how they cooked in their motherland,” says the TV host.
Chef Jernard defines soul food as a feeling that evolved from our African slave heritage of resilient cooking, even with limited ingredients and under horrendous conditions. “They had to cook in the plantation house, and they had to cook for the field hands. So, we perfected the art of cooking our cuisine without being classically trained and cooking it with love.”
Rising to Culinary Recognition
Chef Jernard started cooking with his parents at the age of ten. While living on Mississippi farmland owned by his great-grandparents, the young cook helped with the family catering business. As a teenage entrepreneur, Wells opened his first restaurant in his mother’s home and started a food business in college. He later became a private chef, traveled with Tyler Perry and cooked for other celebrities.
The joy the celebrity chef gets from bringing family and friends together with food eventually made him a familiar face on the Cooking Channel, Food Network, Oprah Winfrey Network and prominent TV news programs. However, CLEO TV turned up the Taste Award winner’s star power by selecting him to co-host his first TV cooking show, “New Soul Kitchen,” with vegan chef Porsche Thomas.
“I never in my wildest dreams thought ‘New Soul Kitchen’ would develop into what it has developed into today and that it would touch the heartstrings of so many people around the world,” Chef Jernard reflects. “When Porsche and I started co-hosting this show, we never knew what it would turn into. All we knew is that we put our hearts and souls into it.”
Season 2 of “New Soul Kitchen” paired Chef Jernard with four women chefs of color, including chef Bren Herrera, now the host of “Cultural Kitchen” on CLEO TV. “There is nothing better than seeing the enjoyment from people when they are sharing a good meal, experiencing or hearing about a great recipe, or more so just sharing the energy in the room together,” the chef continues.
“New Soul Kitchen” featured Chef Jernard creating down-home meals perfect for Sunday dinner. The Black-owned cable network later added “New Soul Kitchen Remix.” The TV host’s second show caters to busy workers and parents who want to prepare a tasty, healthy meal in 30 minutes or less. Wells calls both the New Soul Kitchen food shows and the new “Savor the City” blessings that allow him to cook and engage people with authenticity. “That’s what I love about TV One, CLEO TV and the Urban One Network. They allow me to be who I am, with this country accent and all.”
Chef Jernard predicts the two unscripted food shows will continue to offer information, excitement and fun. He hopes that, at the same time, “Savor the City” will grow its audience.
“New Soul Kitchen is always a moving point because food changes and we change. My job as a chef is to evolve with the shows, but most importantly, to evolve with the way people eat and the way they cook.”
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From a New Cookbook to a Culinary Legacy
The two-time Telly Award winner does more than throw down on television and at home. Chef Jernard opened Atlanta’s first Black-owned Asian restaurant when he moved to Georgia over a decade ago. He and his partners sold the still-operating East Wave Asian Fusion and its concept when the COVID pandemic temporarily shut down downtown businesses.
With “Savor the City” premiering next month, Chef Jernard is ready to let the public sample some cooking inspired by his Mississippi upbringing, world travels and food shows. Cornbread & Butter is slated to open soon in an Atlanta suburb.
“As I travel with ‘Savor the City,’ it reminds me so much of home. I’m in all these different places, but when I sit down and speak with these families, their resilience and ties to their families continue to remind me of home. That is the experience I want to create for everyone else,” the restaurateur says.
Viewers curious about how the food presented on “Savor the City” or Chef Jernard’s other food shows can taste his elevated and sophisticated Southern cuisine with innovative twists at Cornbread & Butter. “Just make a trip to the suburbs of Atlanta, and Chef Jernard and his team will be right there waiting on you,” he promises.
Home cooks can also try recipes from one of Chef Jernard’s best-selling cookbooks. The highly-praised 2022 “Southern Inspired: More Than 100 Delicious Dishes from My American Table to Yours” lets readers explore the heart of the celebrity chef’s cooking.
“That particular book tells the story and the journey of who I am and why I cook the way I cook. I think it’s important to help people learn not to be afraid or ashamed of their past. Your past is what honed you into what you are today. Highlight it. Build on it,” says the cookbook author.
For good reason, the culinary creator became known as the “Chef of Love” early in his career. The father of nine devotes his talents to promoting positive Black experiences and helping others pursue their dreams, including his five daughters and four sons. “I have three daughters who chose to follow dad into the culinary field. You can expect to see them at the new restaurant. You will see that I’ll have three amazing women running the show at Cornbread & Butter,” adds Chef Jernard.
The celebrity entrepreneur will also soon see a line of his products on Mariano’s grocery store shelves in Chicago and the Northeast. Still, he considers the encouragement Savor the City’s audience can gain from seeing the inspiring stories of Black excellence in cuisine, business, entertainment and culture the biggest blessing of all.
“You’ll learn that when I got up from the table or seat or wherever I was sitting, I got up changed. I got up feeling different, and so did my guests. I got up feeling I had an extension to my family that I could now talk to regardless of where I am in the world. That’s what is so precious to me beyond anything. I can take these memories with me for the rest of my life,” Chef Jernard acknowledges.
Savor the City’s host has one word in mind for what he hopes the new show fosters in all dreamers. “The word is endurance. No matter what takes place or happens in your life, keep going,” Chef Jernard urges.
“It seems like the finish line is so far away, yet it is so close. Keep dreaming about what you desire and want to see in your life because no one can stop your endurance.”
Tune in to TV One Thursday, April 3 at 8 P/7C for the premiere of “Savor the City.” Check CLEO TV and TV One schedules or streaming platforms for current or encore episodes of “New Soul Kitchen” and “New Soul Kitchen Remix.”
Follow Savor the City’s host @ChefJernard on social media as well as CLEO TV and TV One for show highlights and network updates.
