LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A culinary education program is coming to Las Vegas’ Historic Westside through the City of Las Vegas and the Chef Jeff Project.
The six-to-eight week program, meant for older teens and young adults up to 24 years old, will be held at the Historic Westside school. The school will open in early 2026.
The Chef Jeff Project currently has three mobile food trucks serving as mobile academies, bringing culinary classes to the Juvenile Detention Center, parks and schools, all in partnership with the City and Clark County.
“I’m a walking living example of [Martin Luther King Jr.‘s] dream: 10 years in prison, came home, got a second chance in a hospitality industry. This is important for me to pay it forward,” said Chef Jeff Henderson.
“When I came home from prison, I always had a dream to open up a kitchen in the hood, the inner city to teach young kids how to cook. It’s one of the few industries that you don’t have to have a culinary degree to go into,” Chef Jeff said.
Bringing more employment options is crucial for residents in the Historic Westside. FOX5 told you about the Westside Education Center coming next door, to bring education options for health care, technology and the trades.
“Ward 5 has the highest rate of unemployment in the city of Las Vegas and has had it for generations. We need opportunities for our young people to be able to have hope for jobs and a way to support themselves–and we are right near the bosom of the entertainment district,” said Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong.
“What I really hope that is we encourage young people to come back to Ward 5 to live and to raise their families here,” Summers-Armstrong said.
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