Darnell Ferguson (born 1987) is an American chef, television personality, and restaurateur.[1][2][3] He is the co-host alongside chef Anne Burrell of Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America (season 25).[4][5] He has also appeared on HGTV’s Home Town Takeover,[6] The Big Holiday Food Fight,[7] as well as the Food Network’s Chopped,[8] Supermarket Stakeout, Tiny Food Fight, Guy’s Grocery Games,[9][10] and Tournament of Champions.[3] Ferguson is the former owner of restaurants, Super Chefs, and Tha Drippin Crab in Louisville, Kentucky.[3][11]
Darnell Ferguson | |
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| Born | 1987 (age 36–37) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education | Sullivan University |
| Culinary career | |
Current restaurant(s)
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Television show(s) | |
Biography
editDarnell Ferguson was born in 1987, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2] He grew up in Columbus, Ohio.[2] In high school, Ferguson was inspired by Emeril Lagasse's television cooking series, Emeril Live, and spent a year of high school enrolled in vocational cooking school.[2] He attended Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky.[2] Ferguson was selected with a group of 20 student chefs who cooked for Team USA in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.[2]
When he returned to the United States, he started getting arrested for selling drugs and went to jail six times.[2] During his last visit to jail prior to 2024, Ferguson vowed to never return again and joined a church.[2] He was evicted and lived in his car for sometime, before starting a pop-up restaurant in Louisville in 2012.[2] His television career began in 2015, after an appearance first on the local news and later on The Rachel Ray Show where he talked about his journey from selling drugs to owning restaurants.[2] During The Rachel Ray Show television appearance Ferguson met his hero, Emeril Lagasse.[2]
The 25th season of Food Network's reality television series, the Worst Cooks in America premiered on January 1, 2023[12] with Ferguson as one of the hosts alongside chef Anne Burrell.
On January 9, 2024, Ferguson was arrested by Louisville Metropolitan Police in the Louisville suburb of St. Matthews on seven criminal charges, including burglary, strangulation, and other charges.[13][14][15] He then appeared in court on January 10, where he pled not guilty and had his bond set at $10,000.[16] His preliminary court hearing was also scheduled for January 18, 2024,[16] and a jury trial was set for February 25, 2025.[17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Chef Darnell Ferguson is the star of this Alabama eatery". al. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Chef Darnell Ferguson is the star of this Alabama eatery". The Tuscaloosa News. August 17, 2020. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
- ^ a b c "Kentucky natives to appear on different TV competitions this weekend. What to know". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
- ^ Brown, Christine (2023-01-01). "How to Watch Worst Cooks in America: Viral Sensations: Stream Live, TV Channel". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "'Worst Cooks in America' takes on TikTok in Season 25". East Bay Times. 2023-01-17. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "HGTV's 'Home Town' will take this Colorado town viral in April". The Denver Post. 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "Long-Standing Food Feuds Are Settled in New Series Hosted by Superchef Darnell Ferguson". Food Network. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ Maas, Jennifer (2023-01-06). "Darnell Ferguson to Host Beef-Squashing Competition 'Superchef Grudge Match' at Food Network and Discovery+". Variety. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ Grady, Danielle (2021-10-19). "Louisville's 'SuperChef' Is Going To Be On 'Guy's Grocery Games' (Again!)". LEO Weekly. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ Mann, David (2016). "Local chef wins big on Guy Fieri's Food Network game show". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
- ^ "Darnell Ferguson's Tha Drippin' Crab permanently closes. But SuperChefs may return". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
- ^ Knolle, Sharon; Lash, Jolie (March 16, 2022). "Worst Cooks in America Celebrity Edition: That's So 90s Cast". TheWrap.
- ^ Acosta, Nicole (January 10, 2024). "Food Network Star Darnell Ferguson Arrested on Strangulation and Burglary Charges". People. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Keck, Matthew (2024-01-09). "Celebrity Louisville chef Darnell Ferguson arrested on assault, strangulation charges". WLKY. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ French, Amanda (2024-01-10). "Darnell 'SuperChef' Ferguson arrested on burglary, strangulation charges". WDRB. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
- ^ a b Daniels, CJ; Sergio, Arianna (January 10, 2024). "Food Network's Darnell 'SuperChef' Ferguson accused of threatening to kill woman, ripping off her shorts". WHAS-TV. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Daniels, CJ (August 12, 2024). "Louisville native, Food Network reality star Darnell 'SuperChef' Ferguson's assault case heads to trial in February". WHAS-TV. Retrieved 2024-11-19.