Award-winning chef and New York Times best-selling author Jeff Henderson will be the featured speaker for Mississippi University for Women’s 2025 Welty Gala, the university announced Wednesday.
The gala is one of the events featured from Oct. 23-25 for the 37th annual Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium, the symposium’s website said. The three days of events will feature a diverse group of southern authors who have not yet been announced and will present their work, the website said.
Henderson started his cooking career while serving time in prison for drug dealing. Since then, he’s authored two best-sellers, held executive positions at Bellagio and Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas and is the creator of his own Food Network show, “The Chef Jeff Project,” his website said.
Henderson has also created a nonprofit called “The Chef Jeff Project,” which works to help disadvantaged youth learn culinary skills and be given a pathway toward a career similar to his path, his website said.
The intention in bringing Henderson was for both his inspirational life story and to bring a headliner who could highlight the university’s culinary arts program, MUW President Nora Miller said.
“We want to highlight something that is kind of unique to The W,” Miller said. “We have one of the few Baccalaureate culinary arts programs, and so this highlights a kind of niche that we have.”
While in Columbus, Henderson will also be doing a demonstration with culinary arts students at The W on the Thursday before the gala, said Interim Executive Director of Development and Alumni Elise Wilson.
“It’s a little bit more of a hands-on activity than we’ve had other than an author talking about their book, and about their story and their experience,” Wilson said. “I think that it’s very important for culinary art students to get the experience of working with different chefs and learning from different chefs.”
The black-tie optional gala is at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24 at the Trotter Convention Center and acts as an annual fundraiser that supports The W’s scholarship fund.
Tickets for the gala can be purchased until Oct. 16 through the Office of Development and Alumni in packages ranging from $125 for a friend package, $500 for a patron package and $5,000 for a benefactor package that each offer additional perks for the gala.
Prior to the gala, there will be a private reception with Henderson at 5:30 p.m., a friends reception with authors for the Welty Symposium at 6 p.m., a dinner at 7 p.m. and Henderson’s presentation at 8:15 p.m. followed by a book signing, the event’s website said.
The symposium is a great event in the fall, not only because of its highlight of literature but also because of the variety of speakers that are brought in to speak on their experiences, Miller said.
“It’s a great marriage, and it speaks so much to the W,” Wilson said. “You have a strong liberal arts background and emphasis, but there’s such a practical, functional nature to that in everyday life and what we do, and it’s just a really cool thing.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
