The Poor Chef TV - The Host

Charles

From the age of 16 when his single mindedness led him to search out and eventually record with his musical idol to his current incarnation as a television personality intent on educating his audience with an engaging blend of integrity, compassion and charisma, Charles Mattocks (aka “The Poor Chef”) has achieved success in a variety of creative fields. Charles “walks the walk” and through hard work, perseverance and leading by example, embodies the qualities inherent to a true role model.The nephew of musical legend Bob Marley, Charles was born in Brooklyn, New York, spending most of his formative years growing up in Long Island in an almost exclusively Caucasian neighborhood.

Despite the occasional taunts, he learned early to treat others as he was treated which has led to his innate ability to be embraced by those from all socio-economic and racial backgrounds. After attending his famous Uncle’s funeral and seeing the impact the icon had over others, he decided that he too would strive to live a creative life with principle and focus. At the age of 16, Charles saw LL Cool J performing in a video on TV and committed himself at that moment to pursue a career in music. Taking a part time job in order to make enough money to buy a car, he learned where the rapper lived and drove to his home unannounced. This act of bravado impressed the superstar and soon he had taken the young Charles under his wing and the two ended up performing together and becoming friends. Charles’ rapping skills caught the eye of famed Tommy Boy label, home of the hit group Naughty By Nature, where he released a single called “Check the Game.”

During the promotion of the single in New York, the articulate and camera-friendly young singer found many doors opening, including those in the acting world. By now a father and realizing the world of rap didn’t offer substantial career longevity, he began auditioning as an actor and on only his second audition, landed a part in the hip-hop themed film “Fly By Night.” He quickly earned his next role in the made for television movie “Daybreak” which starred Cuba Gooding Jr. and Omar Epps. His first starring role came in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie “The Summer of Ben Tyler.” Working opposite James Woods and Elizabeth McGovern, he played the title role of Ben Tyler, an emotionally handicapped, orphaned young man taken in by a prominent family in a small Southern town. Set in the early 1940’s, the film was nominated for a string of critics awards and prompted the New York Times to say that the role of Ben Tyler was “…played to endearing perfection by Mr. Mattocks. Ben is the kind of person any American household would be glad to claim.” Even more impressive were the kudos Charles received from entertainment heavyweight Daily Variety with reviewer Ray Richmond proclaiming, “In Mattocks, a star is born. Bank on it.”Confident with his recent successes, Charles moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career and quickly landed a starring role in “The Journey: Absolution,” which also starred Mario Lopez, Jamie Pressley and Richard Grieco.

During his time in Los Angeles, Charles began doing print work, continued working in independent films and began to take an interest in producing. While he maintained a dedicated focus on his career, he was also a single father and well aware of the trappings of raising a child within the unique Hollywood environment, made the decision to move to Tampa, Florida to be nearer his own family.

While Tampa offered a more conducive environment for raising a child, the entertainment options were lacking. Driven by the need to create projects that spread a positive message, Charles began developing ideas when an innocent statement by his son over dinner one night crystallized his next career move. When asked why there didn’t seem to be any “real” people on cooking shows, a light went off and Charles set about creating a program that appealed to the vast majority of Americans that neither have the time nor means to create the types of menu ideas offered by the current crop of cooking shows.The result is “The Poor Chef,” a unique cooking show based on the premise of creating tasty, creative and nutritious meals for two while spending less that $7.00. Through his production company, Red Fish Entertainment, he shot a pilot episode where as the host; he entered into the homes of people from all walks of life, ethnic groups and socio-economic backgrounds to put them to this fun and informational task. The response from the network affiliates was immediately positive yet as is so often the case, there were conceptual changes that were requested.

Despite lucrative offers, Charles instead chose to retain the integrity of the show and maintain the format he established, confident that the viewing audience needed something more than the celebrity-driven focus of so many other existing shows. He began to submit press releases announcing the concept and soon local television stations began calling him for guest spots to show audiences how best to create inexpensive menu items. His warm personality and charisma has led to numerous television engagements, eventually leading to his current position as the host of a weekly cooking segment based on the “Poor Chef” format.

As seen on the morning show “Daytime,” which is syndicated to eight, NBC affiliates throughout the Southeast, Charles has been thrilled to receive such a positive response from his appearances and is proud to be acknowledged by his audience for creating a show that speaks ‘to” them, not “at” them.The quick success he has achieved as a segment host has deepened Charles’ resolve towards the future success of “The Poor Chef.”

Based on his recent appearances and potential impact, he has been approached to create “The Poor Chef” BBQ sauce and has been delighted to field offers from television and radio stations throughout the nation to appear as a special guest.With so much of his time dedicated to his production company as well as his most important role, that of being a Dad, Charles doesn’t find himself with much free time. When he is able to relax, he enjoys traveling, hiking and spending time with his son. As a successful African-American man who bases his life on integrity and purpose, Charles has struck a chord with audiences wherever he appears and looks forward to the day when “The Poor Chef” takes viewers into homes from Beverly Hills to Brooklyn to enlighten, educate and entertain.