PEOPLE TO WATCH
Reprinted from (201) Magazine - The Best of Bergen, January, 2007
HER CALLING IS COOKING
Chef CONNIE ROUSSEAU likes to "spice life up" with food that draws on her
cross-cultural background and a personality that embraces and inspires
everyone she meets."My food is branded by what I call 'Chef Connie's Cha-Cha-Cha'," she says. It is important to me that food is not only flavorful, but also lingers on the palate - that it's like a dance going in your mouth."
The bubbly, enthusiastic personal chef has cooked for and traveled with hip-hop impresario Damon Dash, and has been a chef and nutritional consultant for Time, Inc. and Real Simple magazine. Her personal chef service, "Connie Cooks," was featured on NBC's Today show, and she is a regular on-air guest on Rolanda Watt's streaming Internet show on GreenStone Media.
Born to an Irish-French mother and an Afro-Cuban father, Chef Connie was given up for adoption at birth, living in a total of eight foster homes before she emancipated herself from the foster system and dropped out of high school at age 16. She worked two jobs, teaching modern dance and waiting tables in Harlem, until she was admitted to an alternative school, Harlem Prep, where she finished her education and met the friend whose family offered her a place to live in Teaneck. She has called Bergen her home ever since.
Despite the trauma of her early years, Chef Connie focuses on the positive result. She readily admits that her foster experiences introduced her to the flavors of the world, prompting her to launch a career in food. Today, she writes, teaches and lectures, is a member of several culinary organizations - including the United States Personal Chef Association - and has received PROCHEF certification from the famed Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. She is poised to expand her horizons with a cookbook, a retail product line of sauces and spice rubs and, she hopes, a television show of her own.
"I have much more to give out than just recipes," she says with a broad smile. "My whole life has been a tremendous test against adversity, and I have not only survived, but also thrived against all odds. Having been told many times that my life experience and culinary talent translate well into a TV show, I am diligently directing my efforts and honing skills to position myself for the right opportunity."
America's next celebrity chef may be right here in Bergen.
-Susan Leigh Sherill
