Chattanooga Chef to Cook For Bermuda's First Family

This Valentine's Day, one local chef will be on the beaches of Bermuda, but not for vacation.  Instead, Jernard Wells has been hired to cook the holiday meal for the leader of that country and 150 guests.

Wells has been in a kitchen since he was 10 years old.  He opened his first restaurant out of his mother's Mississippi kitchen at 16.  And he now has his own cooking show.  But nothing prepared him for the phone call he took just last year.  "When they contacted me, I thought it was somebody just joking as usual," remembers Wells.  "So I just kind of brushed it off.  But then they kept pursuing me."  On the other end of the line was somebody claiming to be from Bermuda.  The first lady had read about Wells' specialty of cooking for lovers, and hoped to hire him for their big Valentine's day dinner.  "When I got a contract and then started researching it, I thought man, they must really be serious about this."

They were.  So Chef Wells is headed to Bermuda.  For the past few months he's been working on the menu which includes mouth-watering meats and much, much more.  "From skinny-dipping shrimp cocktail to strawberry seduction to upside-down peach and mango pound cake that's going to be topped with a chocolate truffle."

Putting out the perfect plate though means a lot of taste-testing.  And Wells admits those little bites don't exactly make him beach-ready in the middle of winter.  "I just wish I had been working out a little bit more so when I go out on the beach I could flex a muscle.  But instead I'll just let everybody know I'm a chef because you know what they say, if you're a skinny chef there's something wrong."

But he hopes nothing goes wrong with the big night.  Wells will be working with a full resort staff and serving 150 guests.  While filling other people's stomachs, his will be filled with butterflies, at least until that first bite.  "When I hear that 'mmmmm,' that lets me know that I'm on point and I can relax for the rest of the evening."

He did have one warning for the first lady though.  His food may be so good, there may be one more member of the first family come November.  "I can't be responsible for what may take place after you cook for an individual," laughs Wells.

Wells and his staff had to send most of his ingredients over several weeks ago to make sure they made it through customs in time.  And don't worry, he's taking his wife along so she'll be with him on Valentine's Day.

If you'd like to sample some of Wells' recipes, click here.