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Did Bravo Pick the Best ‘Hip-Hop Chef’ for Its New Reality Show?

Cookin' Tye the Original Hip-Hop Chef
Cookin’ Tye the Original Hip-Hop Chef Photo: Courtesy of Cookin’ Tye

Yesterday when we brought news that Brooklyn catering chef Roblé Ali was working on a reality show with Bravo, we referred to him as the “hip-hop chef.” Our bad! Today we got a call from Michael Lamb, one of two publicists for a toque who goes by the name Cooking Tyrone, to let us know that Cookin’ Tye (as he’s also called) is the real Hip-Hop Chef. In fact, he also goes by “The Official Hip-Hop Chef” and has posted a certificate on his website to prove that “no other chef is allowed to use the mark of The Hip Hop Chef under the US Trademark and Patten [sic] Office. NOW THAT’S OFFICIAL!”

“My chef has earned his stripes in the game so he don’t want to let nobody infringe on his lean,” Lamb told us. “[Roblé Ali] needs to be looking at [Chef Tye], because he has more stripes.”

Actually, we’re not sure Ali ever called himself the Hip-Hop Chef. We merely picked up the moniker from a video posted to YouTube by Gorgeous magazine. But Chef Tye clearly wants to put Ali and others on notice so they don’t get it twisted. After all, the Official Hip-Hop Chef has cooked for the likes of Rick Ross, Drake, and Russell Simmons. If nothing else, Bravo should take note that there’s another celebrity caterer out there with his own rap song, D.J. skills, and a penchant for dishes like “Rappers 10 to 15 Minutes Scampi” and “Money Hungry Collard Greens.” Clearly an onscreen battle is in order.

To make matters even more confusing, there’s an Original Hip-Hop Chef, too — a rapper who goes by the names Chef Chardon and Diezzle Don. Check out this passage from the Independent about Chardon cooking for Damon Dash.

It’s Chef Chardon, a leading caterer in the hip-hop world, as well as a rapper. Dash had an assistant call him, and he’s driven in from New Jersey with a feast.

“What’s up?” he says.

“Chef Chardon!” Dash says. “I’m starving is what’s up.”

The chef begins opening a stack of foil trays. The music comes back on, and everybody digs in. “Right here, I’ve got my barbecued urban-suburban ribs,” Chef Chardon offers. “Urban-suburban, that’s my cuisine. I got my backyard barbecue chicken. And my urban-suburban Cajun rice. And then shrimp — sautéed in my own garlic-butter sauce. I don’t even have a name for it.”

Anyway, peep these videos of the three chefs and tell us whose flow is illest. This is probably the only time we’ve had to say this about a cooking demo, but Cookin’ Tye’s is somewhat unsafe for work.

Did Bravo Pick the Best ‘Hip-Hop Chef’ for Its New Reality Show?