Alumnus: Marvin Woods
Class of: 1985
Studied: Culinary Arts

When Turner South broadcasting goes on the road to greet fans in major cities, one of it most popular personalities is Chef Marvin Woods. Woods’ cooking show, “Home Plate,” is the top show on the network, where viewers number more than 7 million. Woods earned his TV host job, plus contracts for two cookbooks so far, by developing a unique approach to a particular region’s cooking.

He serves up healthy adaptations of “Low Country” cuisine, the food he remembers from summers with his family in the south. His versions incorporate modern techniques and blend the original African influences with hints of South America and the Caribbean. Showcasing a region that’s not often seen on the white-tablecloth scene, he’s created his own restaurant niche. He shares his creations with diners at his restaurant, Restaurant M Woods, in Miami.

One thing I learned at the Academy that has helped me in my career:

Constantly challenge yourself to learn all the time and never rest on your laurels. Stay focused, be consistent.

Honors:

Featured chef cooking at James Beard House, 1998 and 2001

Present jobs:

Chef-owner, TV cooking show host, cookbook author

Restaurant:

Restaurant M Woods, North Miami Beach, Fla.

Ambience:

70-seat white-tablecloth restaurant, moderately priced, with bamboo floors, dark wood accents.

Cuisine:

New American with Southern influence, taking a creative contemporary approach to Low Country cooking -- the food that’s traditional in the regions around Charleston and Savannah. Traditional African influences of Low Country cooking melded with Caribbean and Latin American touches. Examples: pig feet empanadas; lobster dumplings in exotic vanilla bean and lobster broth; steamed clams, mussels and shrimp in saffron-coconut broth; sweet potato creme brulee.

What my restaurant job is like:

As chef-owner, I supervise 15 employees, handle all food purchasing, design the menu specials, cook.

What I like best about this job.

In owning my own restaurant, I have the freedom to do the food that’s close to my heart. Also, there’s the potential to bring something new and different, that has true “culinary legs,” to the forefront.

Media exposure:

Has been featured on NBC’s Today Show and on CBS, CNN and the Discovery Channel; in magazines including O: The Oprah Magazine, Southern Living, Food & Wine.

Cooking show success:

“Home Plate” is the No. 1 show on Turner South network, where viewers number more than 7 million. Generates volumes of e-mail and fan mail, requests for autographed photos, and inquiries as to next visit to various cities. A network representative say Woods is “one of the biggest draws” when the network goes on the road with its “My South” tour.

What my TV job is like:

In 2004-2005, my third year of the show, we taped 65 shows in the studio, plus more in major cities in the South. For studio sessions, we travel to Atlanta for about a week at a time and tape three to four shows a day. It requires a staff of about 30 people, including my producer – who’s also a chef in her own right.

Persistence pays off:

Taped his first TV segment in 1994. In the years that followed, was asked to tape several pilots and did them, but with no result. Finally, in 2003, sparked a success with “Home Plate.”

Cookbook accomplishments:

• The New Low-Country Cooking: 125 Recipes for Coastal Southern Cooking with Innovative Style
• Home Plate Cooking -- Everyday Southern Cuisine with a Fresh Twist

Effort behind the book:

Five years to take the book from finding an agent to reality. Challenges included: learning to see recipes from the consumer angle, working through legal issues and marketing angles, riding the rough waves of the publishing world.

How my Academy education helped me to become successful:

There aren’t many culinary schools, even today, that teach you what the real world will be like. The first week of school, we were told that to be successful, we’d have to sacrifice. For instance, “get used to working on four to six hours of sleep.” I’m grateful that I was prepared when I went out.

Most memorable experiences in my career:

My first job in New York; opening my first restaurant; writing my first cookbook.

Why I became a chef:

I love cooking, creating, teaching and writing.

Popular awareness of chefs today, vs. back then:

When I was growing up, it wasn’t as easy to envision how far you might go as a chef. My first exposure to the idea of a culinary career was the Betty Cocker recipe cards that came to my house each week.

Advice to aspiring chefs:

“Be a sponge. Learn as much as you can. Always take notes, no matter how long you are in the field. Be true to yourself and your career.”

Previous jobs:

The National Hotel in Miami; Savannah Restaurant in Miami Beach; Milestone Hotel, Cafe Fish and Joe Allen’s -- all London, England; Cafe Beulah, Arizona 206, The Sea Grill at Rockefeller Center, Helmsley Palace – all in New York city.

Personal:

Married, two children

Right now, I’m exploring:

Regional cooking of the South and the Caribbean.

Future:

More books, TV and restaurants.