Marquis Hayes

Marquis grew up in the Bronx in the 1980’s. His dad battled a crack cocaine addiction and his uncle was huge in the drug scene. As a way to pay for Pac-Man and bodega snacks, he began stealing first money from his uncle and then crack, which he sold himself. By the time he was 14, he was making enough cash to drop out of school, rent his own apartment, and pay his father an allowance for drugs. Over the next 8 years, Marquis rose in the game until he ruled Washington Heights and Kingsbridge. Then, in 2002, he got into a violent fight with members of a rival gang and was arrested. In prison, he learned that food was form of currency and that he had skills. He could cook.

After getting out in 2007, Marquis began a small catering business, selling food from his apartment. The food was popular, business grew, and he began making contacts. From cooking as a personal chef for former Knicks player Alan Houston to private catering for Oprah and eventually working as the Executive chef at several Manhattan hotspots, Marquis has dedicated himself to perfecting his skills in the kitchen and as a businessman.