After graduation, Ferguson went to Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky to further his pursuit of becoming a chef. However, he was met with disappointment after discovering his academic funding was only partial. Although excelling in Sullivan’s Culinary Arts program, he started selling drugs on the side to make ends meet.
Fortunately, he was able to graduate but continued to sell drugs & was arrested eight times in 3months. He lost everything he owned, including his place of residence, and eventually became homeless.
“The last time getting locked up, I remembered being in class & them talking about being a statistic & how once you get in the system you can’t get out,”
he said. “I started thinking that now I’m the guy that I didn’t want to be. That’s when I told myself that I was going to get serious about something I know that I can do, which is cooking.” He focused on opening his own restaurants.
Ferguson named his pop-up restaurant SuperChefs, after his nickname throughout his culinary career & his time at 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, where he was one of 22 chefs chosen. After a few years, the 28-year-old chef opened SuperChefs in June, in a 4,500-square-foot space. He now employs approximately 35 people.
Went from selling dope to being super dope! Real hero right there. Especially in the oppressive merican system.