Ever since the arrival of crack cocaine in urban communities, there has been a strong metaphorical link between cooking and drugs in the culture. Rappers these days go on and on (and on…) about how they “bake up pies and cakes” and spend their time “in the kitchen.” The unaware might be forgiven for listening to, say, a Young Jeezy CD thinking that he makes most of his money as a high-profile freelance chef. Of course, if you’re looking to them for risotto recipes, you’ll be disappointed as it’s all fancy talk for cooking up coke into its crack rock form before it’s cut, weighed on triple beam scales, and shipped off to the streets for distribution.

Well, it appears that one gent took the link a bit more literally than most and transitioned from a drug dealer to an executive chef at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. His name is Jeff Henderson, and he just won the Will Smith “I Am Making Your Life My Next Inspirational Movie” lottery sweepstakes. Columbia Pictures, who worked with Will on their recent tale of triumph over adversity, The Pursuit of Happyness, has optioned Henderson’s memoir, Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, From Cocaine to Foie Gras, for Smith’s production shingle, Overbrook Entertainment.

Smith will have to fit this in an already busy plate as he’s lined up for the tragically- titled superhero satire Tonight, He Comes and the Nic Cage comedy Time Share.