Chef Marcus Shell shares his journey to sobriety

By Jacquelyn McHugh / Photography By Shell Royster | November 16, 2023

Marcus Shell is more than a recovering addict and alcoholic. He's just a regular dude, from New Bedford, Massachusetts, who always wanted to be an executive chef.

I am Marcus Shell, executive chef at 39 Rue de Jean in Charleston and a current Chef Ambassador for South Carolina. Who I am now has surpassed the dream I had of running a restaurant when I was young and naive—a dream I believed was never attainable. I mean, I always cooked. I went to Le Cordon Bleu in Boston, one of the best culinary schools in the country. The path was there. I learned about restaurant kitchens the old-school way—enraged chefs throwing sauté pans, getting stuck on cleaning duty, scrubbing walls for hours because I didn’t stay sober long enough to pull my weight on the line. I knew I had to do better. I wanted to do better.

I had to leave Boston to find what better looked like. The misconception that many people have is I left Boston to come cook in Charleston, which is an AWESOME place to be, but I didn’t have the focus to even consider working in Charleston. No; the truth is I landed in Greenwood, South Carolina, to go to rehab. I wasn’t even cooking when I left Boston. I loved cheffing, but alcohol and drugs took my spark for creativity and left me undependable, and I found myself no longer working in a kitchen, living on friends’ futons and couch surfing, living off the means of others.

The final straw was the weekend I went AWOL. The owner of the moving company I worked for and who provided housing for me, who also happened to be a really good friend of mine, decided he was done with my bullshit, and I either had to choose to get sober or get out of his house.

So I chose sobriety.

I headed to Greenwood without any other option, really. I had alienated everyone who cared about me; I was a drunk. I created chaos everywhere I went and was a danger to myself and people around me.

Without any other options, and the support of my friends and Herren Project, I was shipped off to Oaks Recovery in Greenwood. Herren Project was founded in 2011 by former professional basketball player Chris Herren who has been in long-term recovery since August 1, 2008. It is a national nonprofit organization providing free resources and support for the treatment, recovery and prevention of substance use disorders.

I spent 34 months at Oaks Recovery facility, and as of March 17, 2018, I have been sober. I was 31 years old. I’m one of the lucky ones who found sobriety before it ruined my life completely. I was young. The way I see it, everything I have today is gone as soon as I drink. The life I have built is gone with a sip.

I was living in transitional housing in Greenwood when I met Geoff Rhyne, who hired me to be a line cook at a local assisted living facility where he was the director of hospitality. Geoff saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself; he took me under his wing and continued to teach me and push me to reach my full potential. I had never really had a mentor before Geoff. He invited me to work on events for his brand, Red Clay Hot Sauce, and introduced me to Charleston.

Working with him has been a true blessing. It brought me back to the place I love to be—cooking. The act of cooking is my jam. It is the most peaceful my brain ever is. The food I make is me telling people who I am. I’m complex, multi-dimensional, intricate. I kept sober, I kept showing up, and I got to where I am running a restaurant—further than I ever dreamed of being. I continuously reflect on how I’ve gotten to being an executive chef and a Chef Ambassador. The life I have today is so full of experiences that I couldn’t imagine not being a part of.

I want to help people like people helped me. I want people to decide to do more. Mentorship is important to me. As a chef, I realize I am respected, and I’m trusted to lead. If someone wants to be successful in this world, and doesn’t know where to start, I will help them. I want to help those who aren’t typically successful in the culinary space. If I can do it, so can they. The recognition I’ve received, I wonder if I’ve earned it. The reality is, though, if I wasn’t good enough, it wouldn’t be happening. The logical side of me can recognize that. This is bigger than me. I want to be a James Beard award winner, but I also want to be a good human.

People often ask me what's next for me. I don't really know yet. But I do know that I love cooking and I want to make people happy with my food. Cooking is my passion, and it brings me joy. I am grateful to be sober and to be able to pursue my passion.

My journey to sobriety has saved my career and my life. I am no longer defined by my addiction, but by the flavors on my plate and the joy I find in every moment.

I’m more than a recovering addict and alcoholic. And this isn’t a success story—it’s a story about my journey. I’m just a regular dude, from New Bedford, Massachusetts, who always wanted to be an executive chef. With the help of love, some of it tough, compassion and a helping hand along the way, I have remained sober and achieved goals I never thought possible. I have become the man my late mother was always proud of, even when she had nothing to be proud about.