Jenesse is proud to salute Chef G. Garvin as one of the 2009 Silver Rose Honorees. Garvin will be recognized at the Silver Rose Awards Gala and Auction, Sunday, April 19 at the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows.
Chaired by Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry, the theme for the 2009 Silver Rose event is Self Sufficiency, Taking the Necessary Steps to Make a Change. The event will benefit the women and children of the Jenesse Center, a non profit organization that provides a holistic, comprehensive program to nurture victimized families back to a place of mental, financial, physical and emotional well being.
One of the world’s finest master chefs, G. Garvin was selected as a Silver Rose Honoree for his generous efforts to raise awareness on domestic violence. Raised by a single mother, and victim of domestic violence, Garvin has offered continuous support for Jenesse Center to offer relief to families traumatized by domestic violence.
Garvin has developed and crafted one of the world’s most unique mentoring programs, entitled Chef G. Garvin’s Culinary Boot Camp. This exciting initiative focuses on transforming inner city youth into successful corporate and community leaders in the hospitality industry and will launch this summer. His production company, “Garvin Productions,” will soon begin producing several distinct made-for-television programs that will, in a very unique way, use the culinary experience to help resolve conflict, teach life lessons, and bring a new platform to help youth and adults cope with many of life’s common social issues.
Karen Earl, Executive Director of Jenesse said, “G. Garvin is someone who cares deeply about the issue of domestic violence. He was introduced to Jenesse by Paula Bond, a board member and when he saw the work that Jenesse was doing, he told us his personal experience with domestic violence as a child. He shares his time, resources and talents to bring awareness nationally to the issue of domestic violence and to Jenesse’s work to end domestic violence.
For more information on The Silver Rose Weekend, please call Jenesse Center at 323.299.9496, ext. 103 or visit the website at www.jenesse.org. The event is ticketed and open to the public. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.
Founded in 1980, Jenesse Center Inc. provides culturally sensitive programs, services and outreach efforts to families by providing a comprehensive, centralized base of support and services that ensures a transition from immediate crisis to stability and self-sufficiency.
Housing women and children from 30 days up to two years through its 156-bed emergency and transitional shelters, Jenesse also provides a variety of support services to more than 1,000 families annually including mental health counseling, independent life skills classes, computer training, job referrals, after school programs for children, field trips, tutoring and legal assistance offering assistance with obtaining restraining orders for domestic violence victims.
During the 1990s, he served as executive chef at Morton’s, where he orchestrated dinner for the 2nd Annual Vanity Fair Oscar fete, as well as a lavish banquet for the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. A year later, he became executive chef at the restaurant Reign, which became an instant smash and earned Garvin his then-best reviews and highest salary.
Yearning for both business and creative success with food, he left Reign to independently cater high-profile events, including two exclusive dinners for President Clinton, a private brunch for Senator Hillary Clinton and other notable clients.
Acclaimed chef, cookbook author and host Gerry Garvin (a.k.a. G. Garvin) is most widely known for his television series, Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin, now in its fifth season on TV One.
His first cookbook, Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin (Meredith Books) debuted in October 2006. Its widespread success quickly prompted a second printing and won an American Literacy Award. It was also chosen as a participant in the 2006 Library of Congress National Book Festival. Garvin’s highly anticipated sophomore effort, Make it Super Simple with G. Garvin, a collection of recipes for super simple, healthful and delectable dishes, was released in February 2008. Garvin’s third cookbook, aptly titled, Dining In, released in October 2008 and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.
A true philanthropist, in addition to working closely with Jenesse to stop domestic violence, Garvin is also involved with Second Harvest, the nation’s largest charitable hunger relief organization, through ongoing partnerships with iconic brands such as Kraft and Tyson.
