The Nappy Chef, his restaurant located in Charlotte, NC, the US, has already won several accolades and awards.
The way a few industries have seen constant development and growth can be attributed to a number of factors. One, of course, includes the advent of technology, but the immense hard work and consistent efforts a few professionals put in, take the industry to exponential levels of success and growth. The F&B industry is one, which so far has seen the rise of too many such brands and businesses, but among them, a few of them have stood unique from the rest for reasons more than one, just like The Nappy Chef, under the leadership of celebrity chef Nappy Chef (originally Rojshawn Dontae).
Nappy Chef is a Georgia-raised Charlotte-based celebrity chef who has proved his mettle in the industry by serving delicious dishes and recipes through his restaurant, The Nappy Chef, by catering to the food palates of even the prominent figures across sectors. Interestingly, before making it big in the world of cooking as a chef, he was much into the music space. At 19, he had signed his first record deal with an independent label out of Tennessee and then, in 2005, resigned under Chopper Young City and Bad Boy South. He traveled and performed with several prominent artists throughout his career as a rapper, such as Master P, Freeway, Shawty Lo, Dem Franchise Boyz, Crime Mob, BG, and more. However, in 2014, he lost his passion for the art of music as he found his new interest in the art of cooking.
He was the apprentice for the world-renowned chef John Makin from May 2014 – Feb 2015 and learned the art of cooking under him. He always maintained that he was inspired by John Makin, his mentor, who once cooked for Michael Jackson, Nelson Mandela, and Ray Charles, Serving as their personal chef and catered the presidential inauguration for Nelson Mendela before passing away in 2016.
Nappy Chef saw John make 35k from one catering, which sparked his interest in taking cooking seriously as a career. He has now cooked for many professional athletes and celebrities like Floyd Mayweather, Gucci Mane, Jadakiss, Safaree, Lil Kim, and more. He has cooked in major cities like Los Angeles and New York City and has been featured on the news multiple times, including Fox 46 Charlotte, Spectrum, and NBC Charlotte.
He is also an author today with a book on Amazon titled “F🖕🏾ck School be a Boss” and has also been doing public speaking, spreading motivation among the youth. Besides this, he is also rising as a filmmaker with two short movies on YouTube called “Decisions” and “HER” with a lot more of them on the way.
Before opening his restaurant in 2018, he had a food truck catering to many events and clubs around the city of Charlotte and surrounding areas. His brand has grown tremendously since then, merging all of his gifts and passions into one, such as cooking, making movies, recording music, and being a published author.
His restaurant, located in Charlotte, NC, the US, so far has won prestigious accolades and awards like the 2021 Queen City Awards “Restaurant of the Year” and 2022 Power 98 “Best wings in the city” winner. This fall, he was even nominated for an award at the Peachtree Village International Film Festival in Atlanta, GA.
When asked what triggered him to choose cooking as a career, Nappy Chef replied, “I love to make people smile, and I believe food has the power to help spread smiles. Even with simple and honest ingredients, people can enjoy a great meal that can satisfy their food palates. To serve this satisfaction and smiles, I decided to dive deeper into the field, and now I am motivated more than ever to take the sector to exceptional success levels.”
Nappy Chef has cooked for doctors, police officers, millionaires, and professional athletes, and so many other elite names and A-listers. He is happy that through his journey in cooking, he has been able to inspire others.
The celebrity chef and entrepreneur with The Nappy Chef wants to keep experimenting and creating recipes that can satisfy the stomach and the soul.
